


Memories of Mortals and Madmen

by ElizaXSpears



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Affairs, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting (for Black Butler anyway), Betrayal, Crossover, Death, Demons, Drama, Engagement, Fire, M/M, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Game, Romance, Suicide, house fire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:42:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 69,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6211210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizaXSpears/pseuds/ElizaXSpears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If a Grim Reaper could see memories and a detective had questions only a dead man had answers to, it should have been a perfect partnership. However, when the Reaper finds memories erased and the detective finds these deaths to be abnormal, they've only partly comprehended the trouble that they're in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rain was never a rare occurrence for him, in fact, he had thought leaving England would mean less of it, unfortunately, he was wrong. The weather in Krimson mimicked the weather in England nearly too well. At least some of the mortals outside were prepared for it; carrying umbrellas and some even wearing rain slickers, others just ran to and fro, hurrying to wherever they needed to be to try and keep as dry as possible. Of course, he had endured rainy days with nothing to protect him but that was back many years before all of this had even existed.

He flicked his eyes from the people outside the taxi to the grey skies above. From the looks of things, the rain wasn’t going to be letting up any time soon; in ways he hoped it wouldn’t. He’d never admit it but there was a tad case of homesickness in the emotionless mans heart, after all, he had only ever left England once to Germany and, once again, that was years ago. Still, he was needed here if the request for help from the Krimson City District was any indication.

London had finally gotten itself back on its feet after being understaffed for such a long time, however now a new understaffing problem appeared in America. It was a letter sent directly to Spears, asking for assistance and as William had Slingby to take his role if he needed to be elsewhere, he accepted the request, taking mortal travel to Krimson City.

Checking a sigh, he turned his attention from outside to his bland looking suitcase seated next to him; the case larger then it needed to be as he hadn’t much to bring; just a spare suit, pyjamas and the essential toiletries but Sutcliffe insisted he bring such a large suitcase if he decided to bring back presents and a nudge and wink was given to the dark haired man. Honestly, he was here on work, not a vacation which he had been told numerous times he needed. “What apartment building was it again Mr.?” the taxi driver asked.

“The one nearest the local Library, on the corner beside the coffee shop.” he replied, resting folded hands in his lap. To show their thanks for his help, the Krimson District Manager had given him a paid apartment already stocked with food and tea should the need to eat arise. As a dead man, food and drink weren’t necessities to keep him alive however the effects of starvation were something most of his kind would like to avoid. Still, the thought was incredibly kind and the building William had been sent a picture of, along with a letter of thanks a day prior to his trip, was of the exorbitant kind, certainly one an average paid mortal couldn’t afford.

They rounded the corner and he fixed his eyes back outside just as the taxi came up to the curb, stopping just outside the glass doors. “Here we are Mr.” the man said,

“Thank you.” he responded, removing his wallet from his jacket to pay the man, all his money having been interchanged with dollars instead of pounds and pence. “Here you are.” he said, paying the man the fare before exiting the taxi with his suitcase held securely at his side.

His expensive dress shoes clacked along the tile floor of the lobby as he approached the woman at the desk. Upon hearing his steps, she looked up with an obvious forced smile, no doubt tired of doing the same job day in and out. “Evening sir, how can I help you? Are you looking for a place to rent?”

“I believe plans have already been arranged for me.”

William didn’t miss the way she eyed him up and down. “Then name?”

“William T. Spears.”

“Mm, Mr. Spears.” she hummed as she searched through her computer. “Ah yes, here we are. William T. Spears, floor two, apartment two twelve.” William took the key she offered him with a polite nod then made his way towards his temporary flat.

He found it near the end of the hall and unlocked the door with a satisfying ‘click’. Inside, he found the apartment to be rather roomy, smelling like his flat in London did; though, while he used scented candles, the lavender here came from an air freshener. Still, the scent was nice.

Closing and locking the door, he found his way to the bedroom with an offhand washroom, convenient, though once agin, his body no longer acted as a mortals, showers and baths were nice as well fresh breath. William began thinking to himself, as he set his suitcase on the bed to unpack what little he had, of how he didn’t have hardly any of these things back when he was accepted among mortals. _‘My how times have changed,’_ he mused to himself. 

He stored the empty suitcase under the queen sized bed and turned to the closet that was the only small thing in the apartment. It was just big enough to house his extra suit and the item he was so used to carrying at his side at all times. His Death Scythe. He had summoned it just to tuck away into the back of the closet. Their scythes were not the normal scythes many associated with Death; his was a pruner, a type of gardening tool, with a handle in the middle of the long metal rod to allow him to extend it to incredible distances. At least here, he knew where it would be so he’d be able to summon it quickly.

Closing the closet, he set his blue and white vertical striped pyjamas in the dresser drawer before taking the toiletries he brought with him to the washroom and set them by the sink then looked up into the mirror. Unlike his co-workers, William found himself to be rather dull with short, neatly combed black hair and the reaper eyes; two coloured iris, the outer ring a yellow-green the inner a dark green. Again, like all Grim Reapers, he donned spectacles, his nothing unique; rectangular in shape with four decorative lines on each arm. Compared to Slingby or Knox, Sutcliffe especially, he would easily blend in with any crowd but as a reaper, that was what his job was. He wasn’t meant to stick out, he was meant to reap the souls of the dead quietly. He even seem to be the only reaper that remembered, this job was their punishment. Everyone else had found friendships, even lovers. It amazed him honestly.

Then again, there was Humphries with his illness. Perhaps, forgetting about reaper protocol and showing such emotions to the younger reaper was Slingby’s way of trying to forget Alan was teetering on the verge of death every moment of each day. Hell, it even hurt William to think of the inequitable situation. Alan Humphries had always been a kind, gentle, caring young man through life and death and he had to be the one to carry the deadly illness that, until Alan had contracted it, was a myth.

A quick shake of his head got rid of such thoughts. He was meant to do his job with no emotion. This was his punishment, he would take it as one.

Removing his black leather gloves, that all reapers were required to wear along with their suit, he turned on the tap then removed his glasses, everything growing blurry quite quickly. Though all reapers had trouble with vision once their glasses were gone, he seemed to be the only one with severe eyesight trouble.

He cupped his hands under the running tap and splashed lukewarm water onto his face, do this a few times before turning off the tap and dabbing his face with a towel already provided.  With no doubt a busy day tomorrow, he was eager to head to bed when his attention fell to the buzzing in his pocket; a migraine slowly growing as he had an idea who was calling. “What is it Sutcliffe?”

_“It’s Alan, actually.”_

William blinked, his migraine quickly easing away when Alan spoke. “Pardon me then Humphries. I had assumed you were Grell.”

_“So I heard.”_ he laughed. _“And he’s eager to speak with you but Ronald and Eric have him under control.”_

Faintly, William could hear protests and annoying squeals made from the red head in the background along with Knox’s begging to stay still and Slingby’s cussing after being hit in the chin by one of the red heads flailing arms. “As I hear. Thank them for me would you?”

_“He thanks you.”_ he heard Alan say to them then another wail of Grell demanding he be allowed to talk to his ‘dear lover Will’. _“Sorry if you can hear him.”_

_“It’s as good as it’ll get I suppose.”_ he set his glasses back on his nose, leaving the washroom to sit on the edge of the bed. “ _Now why have you called?”_

_“We wanted to check up on you as it’s rare a reaper will take mortal transport.”_ he turned to cough into his hand. _“It’s just nice to hear you made it there alright.”_

“You all had nothing to be concerned about. I doubt a mortal would be able to subdue me.”

_“It was more demons I was concerned about. A lone reaper traveling with no scythe? I was worried one of those creature would take advantage of that.”_

“Thankfully, I’ve not yet sensed any hellish creatures and if I continue to remain undisturbed by them, I may transfer here permanently.”

Alan laughed softly at that. _“I don’t think Eric would appreciate that much.”_

“No, I doubt he would.” he began loosening his tie with his free hand. “Now…I must ask. Have any of you seen any sign of the Undertaker?” Alan fell silent and William sighed. “Damn. Are you still looking?”

_“Yes sir, we’re still looking.”_

“Then be sure to inform me the _moment_ you catch any wind of him.”

_“Yes sir.”_ he glanced behind him, seeing Grell struggle; nearly out of his confines. _“I’ll allow you to go before Grell escapes.”_

“Then good morning Humphries.”

_“Good evening sir.”_

Before he or Alan hung up, he caught Grell’s last words, _“Good night my darling prince! Kisses! Dream about me!”_ he hung up after with a roll of his eyes. He set his phone on the nightstand and dressed down for bed. With a busy  and early day ahead of him, his body was eager to rest; he passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

Putting his alarm clock on the dresser away from his bed was a wonderful idea. He had tried turning it off by slamming his hand onto the clock but ended up just hitting the wooden surface of his nightstand. He groaned as he forced himself out of the nice warm blankets, stumbling sleepily toward the dresser and finally turned off the obnoxiously loud beeping.

Finally in quiet, he stretched his arms over his head, satisfied when a pressure releasing crack came from his back. It was going to be another day with the same routine; deja-vu really. Get up, have a shower, dress, eat then head to work with him and his partner still stuck on paperwork. That’s all the Chief had them on since…they came back. No cases, nothing but damned paperwork. They were detectives not secretaries.

Scratching behind his ear, he entered his washroom down the hall and stripped down to have a nice cold shower. Once the near ice water hit his back, he woke up immediately and turned the dial a little to the warmer side. His showers were often quick but this morning he stayed in a bit longer due to a strange feeling he had. He wasn’t sure where it came from, but the moment he had finally connected with reality from his half-asleep state, he had this horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Turning off the shower, he dried himself and hung the towel around his shoulders as he brushed his teeth, meeting his own dark brown eyes in the mirror. This daily routine was burned into his memory by now as once he finished with his teeth, there was little brain input as he combed his short black locks out of his eyes and to the side, shaved and returned to his bedroom to get dressed.

First, his glasses were placed on his nose, then came the black trousers and belt then the white dress shirt, red tie, vest and gun holsters then rolled up his sleeves just past his elbows. Finally, he donned his badge, proudly clipping it to his right gun holster. He was so proud to finally get this badge after working the force for so many years; Detective Joseph Oda just felt so right to him, and as a bonus, he was given his partner, a man he really could rely on, Sebastian Castellanos.

Choosing what he normally did for breakfast, nori on buttered toast with black coffee, he had just hardly finished it when a car honk came from outside. Sliding the dishes into the skin, he slipped on his black leather gloves and left his home to meet his partner waiting for him outside in his car. “Morning.” he greeted as he entered his partners vehicle.

“Yeah.” Sebastian grunted back his reply, driving off to the station.

Joseph’s brow furrowed, turning his attention to Sebastian. “What’s wrong?”

“Had a shit sleep last night.”

“Hit the bottle too hard?” Sebastian glared at him but he knew he was right. He was far more irritable then normal and he looked to be squinting even though the sun was hardly out but could he blame him? He used to but now, he wasn’t so sure. Hell, even _Joseph_ had a drinking problem for a bit after escaping STEM to keep all those horrible memories repressed but once he realized he couldn’t deal with the side effects of heavy drinking, he promptly quit; Sebastian, he knew too well, was already used to such side effects.

He winced at the thought, turning his attention from Sebastian to the outside world, so happy to see it like this. Though STEM was four years behind them, they both still couldn’t forget it, the wounds that place had created had yet to scar over though Joseph knew his wounds were healing far better then Sebastian’s were.

The drive was filled with awkward silence the rest of the way until they reached the station. Sebastian finally broke the silence between them when they entered their office and plopped down at his desk chair. “I can’t do any more paperwork.” he sneered at the papers scattering his desk. “I need to get out there.”

“Agreed.” Joseph said, leaning against his desk. “But what can we do? The Chief won’t give us any cases.”

Sebastian glared at the door. “I’m going to make him give us a case.”

“Sebastian, you’re going to get yourself fired.” but Joseph’s words fell on deaf ears as Sebastian went looking for the Chief. He heaved a sigh and followed his partner, finding him just as the Chief exited his office with a file under his arm.

“Castellanos, Oda. Good morning.” the man greeted.

“What’s that?” Sebastian questioned, arms crossed.

“Info on a murder case I’m giving to the right officer.”

“We’ll take it.”

“No.”

“Why not? You’ve had us on paperwork for four, fuckin’, years. I think were more then capable of takin’ this case.”

Joseph stepped in before Sebastian could say anything else that would get him fired. “Sebastian’s right, sir. We’re willing and able to take this case on.”

“Really now? After what you two claim to see?”

“A murder here is better then anything we saw…there.” he held out his hand. “We can take the case.”

Though the Chief seemed reluctant to hand over the file, he did. “Do not let me down.”

Sebastian flipped their boss the bird when his back was to them before storming away to the squad car. “Ass.”

Joseph slipped into the passengers seat. “It’s alright Seb. I’m sure it’s because your hungover, but you need to calm down. I’m just as mad as you are he’s kept us on paperwork for this long but we finally have a case. You should be happy about that.”

“We only got it because we had to ask for it. Normally, that case file would be on our desk first thing in the mornin’.”

Joseph felt the corner of his lips tug down into a frown and he reached over to place his hand over one of Sebastian’s that was curled on his thigh. “It’s okay.” his partner looked at him; ever since STEM, Joseph noticed the change in his partner. Not physically as he still looked like the same, scruffy man with brown wavy hair, rough, scarred skin but emotionally, he could see everything Sebastian tried to hide inside his yellowish eyes and it did hurt, knowing he couldn’t do much to help his partner. “It’s all going to be okay.” he assured. Sebastian said nothing, instead turning his attention to the file in Joseph’s lap. Seeing where Sebastian’s attention landed, he removed his hand and used it to open the file. “Okay, we have a forty-six year old man found dead in his home around six this morning with his jugular cut.” he passed the file over to Sebastian for him to read.

“Victim was Erik Drake. No criminal record and nothin’ odd about him.” he found the location of the murder then closed up the file. “Feels good to be back on the job.”

“Yes it does.” Joseph agreed, sliding the file into the glove compartment.

Sebastian started the car and drove them to the scene which had already been policed taped off with two officers standing guard to make sure none of the reporters swarming the place could get inside. “Damn.” Sebastian said, parking the car.

“They’ve been here for awhile no doubt.” Joseph commented on the reporters.

They were allowed in when they showed their badges and found the body covered by a white sheet with blood stained carpet, the coroner standing by, ready to take the body away when it was no longer needed and a man sitting on the couch looking pale as a ghost. “Alright, I’ll check over the body and you talk to that guy.” Sebastian ordered.

Joseph nodded, moving toward the man while removing his notebook from his inner vest pocket. “Morning sir, I’m detective Joseph Oda.” he introduced, taking a seat next to him.

“Austin Lawrence.” he greeted.

“Hello Austin. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Alright. First, did you know the victim?”

“Yeah, we’re neighbours.”

“How did you know something was wrong?”

“I was gettin’ ready for work and I’d just left the house when I heard him scream. It was one of the sounds that ya can’t get outta your head once ya hear it. It really did sound like he was crying bloody murder so I went over to check up on him. Knocked a few times and when he didn’t answer, I went ‘round back and found the door unlocked so I went inside. Called out a few times then…I found him.” his eyes quickly flicked to the white sheet covered body then back to his shoes.

Joseph nodded, writing all he was told in his notebook. “Where do you work?”

“I work at the bakery and I usually open the shop before the owner gets there.”

“Did Mr. Drake have any enemies that would want to hurt him?”

“Yeah, he had enemies but they wouldn’t kill him.”

“Did you see anyone suspicious or hear anything other then the scream?”

“No even when I came in, everything looked normal.”

Nodding again, he finished his thoughts and closed up his notebook. “Thank you Austin. You can go. We’ll come by if we need anything.”

“Okay.”

Joseph stood, watching the man leave before returning to Sebastian. “Nothing suspicious from what the neighbour told me except the back door was unlocked.”

“Killer musta picked the lock.”

“Maybe. What did you find?”

“Whatever the killer used was sharp.” he crossed his arms. “This cut wasn’t made with any normal knife. Too clean.”

Joseph slipped his notebook back into his pocket. “Strange. I’m going to take a look outside and see if there’s any evidence out there.”

“I’ll check the rest of the house.” They split up again, Joseph going to the back door, glaring up at the sky as it had begun to rain again. If there were prints in the mud, they’d be gone soon with all this rain.

Crouching down, he examined the mud, oddly finding two sets of footprints. The first must have belonged to the neighbour but the second was strange. They were boots but not any type of rain boots. He couldn’t quite explain them especially when there wasn’t any indication they had left the home. The footsteps went in but never came out and they appeared a few steps before the door unlike Austin's who had walked up to the door.

Removing his phone from his pant pocket, he snapped a few photos of the prints before heading back inside, he found Sebastian in the victims bedroom. “Found something strange.”

“What?” Joseph showed Sebastian the image, Sebastian displaying the same look of confusion he had earlier. “The hell?”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“You sure they didn’t mask their steps walking up to the door?”

“No. They just appeared a few steps away.”

“The hell?” he repeated, trying to make sense of the photo. “I need to see this for myself before they disappear.”

They walked side by side down the stairs, discussing possibilities when the moment Joseph saw a shadow just dart out the back door, he surprised his partner by bolting after it. Apparently, the shadow hadn’t noticed he’d been seen until a moment too late when he was tackled to the ground, Joseph pinning the man down as mud caked the side of his face and glasses. “Who are you?” he demanded, holding the mans arms tightly behind his back.

William both winced at the pain of being tackled and the humiliation of having been caught at a reap. This had never happened before and thought they say there’s a first for everything, this was a first he never wanted to experience. At least it was soft, muddy ground instead of hard concrete. “If you’d be so kind as to let me up, I’d tell you.”

“I’m not letting you go, now answer me.” The man huffed but didn’t respond. “Answer me damn it.”

Getting no answer again, Joseph was about to demand for a third and final time when Sebastian helped him out by taking William’s wrists and handcuffing them before yanking him up by the chain link. “Up you son of a bitch.”

William winced as the metal rubbed against raw skin just under his glove. “Must you be so rough?”

“When you might be a killer, yeah.”

“I am nothing of the sort.”

“Then who are you?” 

William tried glaring at the man behind him. “You would not believe me.”

“Tch.” Sebastian pushed him forward, making him stumble. “C’mon. We’re bringing you in for questioning.”

“I wouldn’t be able to answer any questions.”

“Shut up.” he pushed him again. “Nice one Joseph.” he said over his shoulder. “Might have caught the bastard right off the bat.”

“Hopefully we did.” Joseph said, opening the backseat of the squad car, letting Sebastian shove William into the backseat, both ignoring the swarm of reporters.

As Sebastian climbed into the drivers seat, he glanced at William through the rear-view mirror and couldn’t help but notice some striking similarities between his partner and the suspect. Glasses, hair, gloves, some of the suit. How odd. 

He shook his head and focused back on the road, driving them back to the station.


	2. Chapter 2

The wet mud had now dried onto the side of his face and over his lenses. He wanted to return to his temporary apartment and clean himself up but from the looks of these two, the taller one especially, were intent on bringing him in for questioning. Of course, he had a feeling the questions he was going to be asked were questions he wouldn’t be able to answer, especially if they asked him who the killer was. That was confidential to reapers and reapers alone. “Pardon me, officer-”

“Detective.” Sebastian corrected.

“Detective then, would you happen to have a cloth of some sort so I may wipe my face with?”

“No.” The short, concise answer he got wasn’t what he was expecting. Honestly, would it kill the man to be a bit cordial? If Sebastian was anything like himself, then yes, it would.

He shifted to rest against the seat the best he could with his hands still cuffed behind his back. The metal was uncomfortably digging into his skin just where his gloves ended; he knew by the feel there would be ugly red marks left once these heinous things were removed. “What’s your name?” Joseph asked.

William straightened. “William T. Spears.”

“What’s the ’T’ stand for?” Sebastian asked, flipping on the wipers as rain began again.

“My middle name.”

“No shit. What’s your middle name? Thomas? Tyson?”

“That is my own business, detective and unneeded for your information. You now know my first and last. My middle can remain ambiguous.”

Joseph removed his notebook, flipping through the notes he’d taken when talking with Austin. “Where are you from?”

“London, England.”

“When did you arrive?”

“This morning.”

“What time?”

“I believe it was around three.”

Joseph frowned, closing up his notebook. “It’s not him Seb.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not the killer. Mr. Drake was murdered around two this morning and William got in around three. It doesn’t add up.”

“Fucker could be lying.”

“If you do not believe me, take me to my apartment building and talk with the woman at the front desk. She is more then capable of being my alibi.”

Sebastian glanced at William in the rear-view mirror. “Fine. What apartment building?”

“The one nearest the, ah, library.”

Again, it fell silent as Sebastian drove toward the apartments and William found his eyes on the outside again. Despite being a ‘criminal’ he still found enjoyment of the humans who were unfortunate enough to end up caught in the rain. “Alright.” Sebastian said, parking on the side of the road when they arrived. “Joseph is going to stay here with you so don’t try anything.”

Joseph watched his partner exit the car then disappear inside the building. He sighed and shifted in his seat, looking up to the rear-view mirror and found William staring back at him. “You and I do look rather similar.” he stated.

Joseph nodded. “I guess we do.” he eyed William up and down, settling on William’s strange eyes. “Halloween contacts or something?”

“Pardon?”

“Your eyes. Those have to be some cosmetic contacts, right?”

“They are not. The colour you see is my…” he paused a moment. “Well, I wouldn’t say natural eye colour but they’re the colour I gained when I…arrived to my permanent job.”

Joseph turned fully in his seat to properly talk to him, an eyebrow raised. “Explain what that means.”

William closed his eyes. “If I do, you will not believe me.”

“Try me. I’ve seen some very…strange things of late.”

William met Joseph’s dark brown orbs again, Joseph finding William’s emerald eyes slightly glowing in the darker car as grey clouds fully rolled in. “I am a Grim Reaper.”

“A Grim…Reaper? As in Death?”

“Yes.”

Joseph blinked a few times, trying to find that idea absurd yet considering what he and Sebastian had gone through, he was inclined to believe it. “You were at the murder scene because you were-”

“Collecting the soul.”

“Then shouldn’t you be able to break free of those handcuffs?”

“I’m not as strong as other reapers are as mostly I remain behind a desk doing paperwork.”

Joseph wanted to ask more questions but Sebastian opened the passenger side door and yanked William out. “You’re free to go.” he said, grasping William’s wrists. “Just tell me what the hell were you doing at the murder scene?”

“Collecting the soul.” he repeated what he did to Joseph, finding Sebastian narrowing his eyes; a bit more skeptical then his partner was. “I am serious.” he said when Sebastian said nothing.

Still, Sebastian remained silent but slipped out the small key to free William from his cuffs. “There.”

“Thank you.” William said, rubbing at his sore wrists. “I apologize for getting in the way of you, detectives.” he bowed his head. Sebastian turned his back to William, meaning to get back in when the three of them caught a scream coming from the alley a few steps away from where he parked.

Being their job, Sebastian and Joseph rushed to the alley, freezing dead in their tracks when they found a creature they had assumed they left behind in STEM. Though it wasn’t a Haunted they had seen before, their first instinct was to upholster their guns and shoot; Sebastian aiming for the back of its head while Joseph aimed for the middle back. However, to their surprise, the tall, lanky creature dropped the woman it was feasting on and turned to face them. This was not a Haunted but something else. Its eyes fuchsia with pupils slit like cats. “Didn’t your parents tell you its rude to interrupt someones dinner?” the creature hissed. They shot at it again, standing their ground but the creature didn’t go down. Instead, it continued to stalk forward, a dark aura growing around it the more times they shot at it.

When they did decide to try and run, the creature launched at them, wrapping its boney arms around Joseph, yanking him back into the alley causing him to drop his gun. “Mm, you look like a delicious meal.”

“Get off me!” he demanded, struggling the best he could until a black, sharp clawed hand snapped up to wrap tightly around his throat.

“Let him go!” Sebastian demanded, trying to keep his hands from shaking. “Damn it, let him go, fucker!”

The creature grinned, sharp fangs visible with the action. “I don’t think so.”

About to pul the trigger again, Sebastian froze when metal whizzed by his head, expertly avoiding Joseph and pinning the creature to the back brick wall by metal clamps attached to an extended metal pole. “Honestly, I was hoping to avoid your kind here.” William spoke, stepping past Sebastian as he approached the creature. “But I suppose demons are everywhere.”

“Reaper? Tch, where did you come from?”

“That is of no concern of yours.” he stopped before the demon, examining the creature. “Why can’t your kind feast on other demons and leave our souls alone?”

“Humans souls taste better.” he stuck out his tongue, wiggling it around. “Let me taste you. I want to taste a reaper.”

“Mm. I suppose anyone would be turned off from eating anything that tastes like rot.” he said, ignoring the creatures taunts.

“Wouldn’t rot fit you better, reaper? You’re a rotting human after all.”

William snapped the clippers closed and the demons head rolled from its body, dropping to the ground before it and the body fell to ash, washing away in the rain. “Bloody creature.” he huffed, reaching inside his breast pocket to clean blood from his scythe like he had with the caked on mud on his face and glasses.

Sebastian snapped from his stupor when he saw Joseph push himself to his feet. “You okay?” he asked his partner, resting his hands on his shoulders.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” he replied, though shook slightly. He bent down for his gun then turned around, both watching as William stabbed his scythe into the woman the demon had attacked. “…reaping?” he guessed.

“I would be if she had a soul to reap.” he sighed, surprising the two further as he summoned his death list, seeing she was a soul he was meant to reap but unfortunately had to write in the notes her soul was stolen by a rogue demon. “A shame.”

“So you weren’t fucking with us. You’re a goddamn Grim Reaper.”

“That I am.” he faced them, using his scythe to adjust his glasses. “I’ve been in this field for…quite some time now.”

“How? You only look my age.” Joseph said.

“My outward appearance is of a thirty-three year old, yes, but my reaper age is quite a number.”

“How old are you?”

“Five hundred and forty-four.”

“…alright, you are old.” Sebastian said. “Damn.”

“Many of us are older then that. My subordinate, Eric Slingby, is six hundred and fifty-eight.”

“You the youngest?”

William shook his head. “Far from it. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who you are, we are getting knew recruits everyday.”

“How does one join?”

William looked away. “I’d rather not answer.”

Sebastian ran his hand over Joseph’s arm, comforting the still shaking man. “Well, look, reaper, we’re sorry then.”

“Pardon?”

“For thinking you were a criminal.”

“Not surprising. What else were you to think.” he refrained from telling Joseph the reason why he had seen William in the first place, knowing if a mortal was to see a Grim Reaper, it had meant they were to die in the coming months. “Now, if you two would excuse me, I have my collections to catch up on.”

They watched with disbelief as William jumped from the stone ground onto the roof of the tallest building then disappeared out of sight. “Seb…are we dreaming?”

“I don’t think so.” Sebastian tore his eyes from the roof and slipped his arm around Joseph’s shoulders, walking with him back to the car. “I think we’ve just seen a secret part of reality we weren’t meant too. So, let’s return to the station, get to work on this case and forget this ever happened.”

“I like that idea.”

William watched from the roof as they entered the police cruiser and drove away. He was pleased he was able to get out of there without needing to use violence and the two were willing to forget he existed.

Satisfied when the cruiser was out of sight, he turned around and bounded across the rooftops, heading toward his next collection; an elderly man set to die of a heart attack. The home of the man was just below him and as he waited for the right moment to collect his soul, his eyes narrowed as a shadowed figure entered the home.

Kneeling down to keep himself from sight, he watched carefully, wondering if another reaper had gotten here before him but as the minutes ticked by, no one emerged. Curious, he jumped from the roof and was able to slip in through an open second floor window, finding the man dead on the bed where he should have been. Odd.

Carefully, he stepped toward the bed then stabbed his scythe into the body, expecting the Cinematic Record of memories to spring up for him to watch but to his utter shock, the memories were wiped clean; erased. Not once had he ever heard or saw this happen before.

Retracting his scythe, he stepped back, and though he hated to do it, sometimes he needed the advice of the older reaper. He knew it was going to be early but he needed this answer. “Wha’?”

“Slingby.”

Eric wiped sleep from his eyes, unaware it’d been William calling. Alan Humphries lay beside him, looking up at him with tired eyes as he hoped it was nothing important; that Eric would hang up and come back to bed but that hope was dashed as Eric flicked on the light and sat up. “Wha’ is it Spears?” he asked, brushing his fingers through his blonde hair.

“I need an answer.”

“Wha’s yer question lad?”

“I shall make it quick, but have memories ever been erased?”

Eric cocked his head. “Wha’? Erased?”

“Yes. I’m at a reap but the mans memories have been erased. The entire cinematic is blank.”

“Shite. No Spears, ne’er ‘eard o’ tha’ happenin’.”

William clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Mm. Well, thank you Slingby and I apologize for waking you.”

“’s alrigh’.” he hung up first, setting his phone on the nightstand then rubbed at his eyes again.

“What did William want?” Alan asked, sitting up to hug Eric from the side. “What was erased?”

“Memories.” he replied, wrapping his arms around Alan.

“Memories were erased?”

“Aye.”

Alan bit the corner of his bottom lip. “That’s…strange.”

“Aye.” he kissed Alan’s head. “Bu’ there’s no’ much we can do.”

“No, I suppose not.” he shifted and moved to straddle Eric’s lap. “But it’s going to be a very long day for you tomorrow if we don’t go back to sleep.”

“I know, I know.” again, he hugged Alan to him, resting his scruffy chin on Alan’s bare shoulder. “But I dunno ‘ow much I can sleep now with erased memories poppin’ up.”

“It was only it once and perhaps it was just a demon.” he stroked his fingers through Eric’s hair and brushed his fingers over the black cornrows on the other side of this head. “Don’t let this bother you love, please. You have so much to worry about already, this doesn’t need to add to your list.”

“This is wha’ Spears ‘as tae deal with.”

“But your Eric Slingby not William.” he pulled back for a kiss.

“‘m ‘im fer righ’ now.”

“Still.” he peppered little pecks down Eric’s neck. “Please let it slip from your mind for now?”

“I suppose I can try fer ye.”

“Mm, good.” he leaned over to flick off the light. “I love you.”

“Love ye too.” he fell to his back, bringing Alan with him. “G’night Alan.”

Alan curled into Eric’s side, giving him another kiss before saying, “Goodnight Eric.” and resting his head on Eric’s chest, letting his eyes close.

Eric’s fingers drifted through Alan’s chocolatey brown hair for a few minutes before he joined his lover in sleep.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

Forgetting seemed to be harder then Joseph thought it’d be. He expected to get lost in his paperwork and William would be gone from his mind when in fact, it was the complete opposite. He tried to keep to himself, not wanting to bring it back up to Sebastian as his partner seemed to have forgotten for the most part, but he had caught himself writing ‘William’ or ‘reaper’ a few times on his papers.

He was just glad when the day was over, thanking Sebastian for the ride home. He finally felt a semblance of peace as he stepped through his front door, leaning against the door once he closed it. Just as he thought things were getting back to normal, this had to happen. He was at least thankful this was all real and they weren’t trapped back in that hellhole.

Pushing himself from the door, he just wanted to go to bed and though he also wanted a cup of warm tea to ease his nerves, a goodnight sleep would do him better. So he made his way upstairs to his bedroom and did little to get ready for it. He set his badge, gun holsters, vest and belt aside but nothing else as he collapsed to the mattress. His glasses even remained on his nose.

Once his eyes closed, he was in his dream world and even there, William had invaded his dreams. Whether it was egotistical or not as they looked similar, he found William to be rather attractive; perhaps that was just a reaper thing, being attractive to mortals, but why would death need to be attractive? Humans only saw them moments before their death.

Suddenly, the wonderful dream he was having about the reaper flipped on its head, becoming a nightmare. The man he had been pressed against, suddenly had his scythe against his neck, pinning him to the dream wall like he’d done to the demon before. He was saying things, the only words that came out coherent were, ‘Your time is up, Oda. I’ve come to reap you now.’

He gave a shout as he bolted up right, his glasses flying off his nose, landing in the space between his legs. What a way to ruin a perfectly good dream. Then again, what was he expecting when having dreams about death? He shook his head and picked up his glasses, sliding them onto his nose. He needed water.

Stumbling out of bed, he began to make his way toward his stairs to get to the kitchen when his foot caught on the corner of the wall which made him loose his balance and fall. He tumbled down the stairs and landed with his head cracking against the linoleum floor. He was only able to stay conscious a moment longer before slipping off into the world of the dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy damn was this chapter hard to write for some reason. I just couldn't put it into words. Ah well, it's done. Next one soon so enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

“Eric, slow down!” Alan protested, being nearly dragged behind the older reaper. “I’ve never seen you in a rush to work like this before.” he hardly had time to dress before Eric began dragging him to the Grim Reaper Office’s.

“Sorry love, but I wanna get there ‘fore Red goes off lookin’ fer Undertaker.” he replied over his shoulder, his hand tight around Alan’s wrist.

“You could have at least waited for me to due up my tie-slow down!” Eric’s long legs were able to carry the older reaper in longer strides, while Alan was much shorter, he found it difficult to keep up to him; tripping every so often.

“Little longer Alan an’ ye can do tha’ in the office.”

After stumbling along behind his lover, Alan was finally freed as Eric used the same hand that had Alan’s wrist to grab Grell’s bicep before the flamboyant red head could skip away. “‘ang on Red.”

Within seconds, Grell had spun around and latched onto Eric, batting his eyelashes flirtatiously. “Oh, Eric! Have you finally decided to give this red lady a try~?”

“No, he hasn’t.” Alan said for the blonde, yanking Eric backward from Grell’s embrace. “Nothing of the sort.” protectively, he wrapped his arms around Eric’s.

Hardly trying to hide his cocky grin, Eric slid his arm from Alan’s and wrapped it around his waist, pulling the smaller reaper into his body. “Dun worry love.” he whispered then kissed the top of Alan’s head. Alan said nothing else, content to rest against Eric. “Anyway, Red, I needed tae ask ye somethin’.”

“Oh?”

“Mm. This ne’er ‘appened in the Scottish Branch but do ye e’er recall memories bein’ erased from the Cinematic Records?”

Grell tapped a long red painted nail to his lips, shifting his weight to rest on his right leg with his other hand resting on his hip. “You know dear, I can’t say I have. Why? Has this happened?”

“Aye, tae Spears apparently. Called this mornin’ askin’.”

Grell blinked then stomped his foot. “He called?!”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, you make me miss a call from my love again?!”

Alan rolled his eyes, finally doing up his bolo tie with the skull ornament. “How were we meant to let you know William had called? He called Eric at our flat, you know.”

“Still.” he huffed. “He could have at least called me just to check up on his mistress.”

“Yer no’ ‘is mistress, Red.”

“A lady can dream!”

“And that’s as far as you’re gonna get with Spears-senpai.” Attention was turned to the newcomer, Ronald entering their conversation with arms folded behind his head. “Mornin’.”

“Mornin’ lad.” Eric greeted. “Wha’ ‘as ye ‘ere sae early?”

“Um, got some extra paperwork from last night I skipped out on.”

Eric cocked an eyebrow. “Ye know tha’ makes more work fer me when ye dun ‘and in stuff on time.” he shook his head. “I should give ye overtime fer that.”

“Oh, c’mon Eric!” Ronald groaned, dropping his arms. “It was just once! I only skipped it ‘cuz I had a date! Y’know how it is, er, well, used t’ be before y’ picked up Alan-senpai for good. Can’t ditch a lovely lady like the one I had last night.”

“That’s still no excuse.” Alan waggled his finger at the young blonde. “Not only does late paperwork put strain on Eric or William, it affects your record. If you want a promotion to Higher Officer then you cannot slack on your work.”

“Darlings, lay off the youngling.” Grell tut-ted, wrapping his arms around Ronald’s shoulders. “He’s still young. Give him time.”

“Yer jus’ sayin’ tha’ because ye do the same.”

“And?!”

Eric chuckled, brushing his fingers through his blonde hair. “An’ I was only kiddin’. ‘m no’ gonna give ye overtime fer this once Knoxie. ‘m no’ Spears.”

Ronald blew a relieved sigh, slouching back against Grell. “Phew, oh, thanks Eric.”

Eric playfully winked to the blonde then looked up at the clock ticking above the secretary desk. “Well, we should get tae work.”

“Then I’m off to look for the gorgeous bastard.” Grell said. “Marring my face like he did.” he scoffed, summoning his chainsaw shaped scythe.

“And I’m joining you.” Alan said, summoning his scythe, a Japanese long handled garden slasher.

“Then come along dear.”

Grell dashed away and Alan was about to follow when he noticed Eric’s posture differ from his normally laid back form. He was tense, hands clenching at his side. “What is it?”

“I dun want ye goin’ with Red tae look for the old coot.” he replied, sternly, obviously taken advantage of the higher position he had over Alan. “It’s tae dangerous.”

But Alan shot him with his own stern, stubborn look. “I can handle myself. If we do end up finding Undertaker, we will not attack unless given reason to and if I do come across a demon feasting on a soul, I will step in. That is my job after all.”

“Not with yer sickness, it isn’t.”

“Eric.”

“Alan.”

Ronald’s eyes flicked between the two, feeling the heated tension between them. He shifted uncomfortably until Eric broke down under his younger partners pleading, yet still stubborn gaze. He grit his teeth. “Fine.” he grasped Alan’s shoulders before he could go. “Jus’, be careful. The last thin’ we need is fer ye tae ‘ave an attack the coulda been avoided.”

Alan held the look a moment longer before dropping it and leaning up on his tiptoes to kiss Eric’s cheek. “I’ll be careful my love and I’ll be sure to report any erased memories as well.”

“Aye, alrigh’.”

“Wait, erased memories?” Ronald cut in. “The hell?” he was given the explanation and found himself without an answer to such a thing. “That’s…weird. Y’ sure Spears-senpai wasn’t just, I dunno, high or somethin’?”

Eric shook his head. “I doubt tha’. Ye know ‘ow Spears is. Clean as a whistle.”

“Yeah…true, but erased memories? How do y’ explain that?”

“We dunno Ron.”

Alan wanted to agree but his brown furrowed and he gripped the handle of his scythe with both hands. “The Undertaker.”

“Undertaker?” both blondes asked.

“Yes.” he replied, meeting both their eyes. “He’s tampered with Cinematic Records before.”

“But, ye think ‘e left England tae America an’ jus’ happens tae be in the same city as Spears is?”

“It’s a possibility.”

Ronald scratched the back of his head. “Um, I dunno ‘bout that Alan-senpai. I mean, it’s kinda out there.”

“I’m not saying that’s exactly what happened but it’s the only thing we have to go on right now.” he straightened his back, twirling his scythe around his fingers. “But enough of that for now. I have Grell to find.”

“Be careful.” Eric said again. Alan flashed him a quick smile before he darted away.

“Y’ worry about him too much.” Ronald said.

“’s ‘ard not tae when ye know ‘e’s gonna die at any time.”

Ronald winced, hanging his head. “Ah, yeah. Right.”

Eric stared after Alan a moment longer before shaking his head and slinging his arm around Ronald’s shoulders. “C’mon lad. Ye got yer paperwork an’ reaps tae get tae.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Eric grinned, walking with Ronald until the second level where Ronald’s office was located. “Remember Knox. I want those papers in before you go out reaping.”

Ronald blinked as Eric’s accent faded into a proper English one and sounded nearly like their boss. “Don’t do that Eric.”

The blonde laughed. “ad tae an’ ‘m serious. Paperwork on me desk ‘fore ye reap.”

“It’s not your desk.”

“Mine until Spearsy comes back.” he left Ronald behind and climbed the two last set of stairs to get to the fourth floor where William’s office was located.

Before he entered, he admired the golden words of William’s name carved into the plaque on the door. He had a chance to have his name up there but if he took William’s job when given the chance, Alan wouldn’t be in his life; a fair trade in Eric’s opinion.

Finally opening the door, he stepped inside to begin a days work.

 

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_  

 

Knowing when someone was to die for their soul to be collected on time was the ‘gift’ Grim Reapers were given, however as William stood at Joseph’s body, he hadn’t expected Joseph’s name to pop up on the death list so suddenly. “Honestly, I hadn’t wanted to be here this quickly.” he mused to himself, reading Joseph’s page. “Born, nineteen-eighty one. Died, twenty- sixteen. Age, thirty-three. Cause of death, severe head trauma.” he snapped the death list shut then brought his scythe to stab into Joseph’s abdomen causing the reel of Cinematic Records to fly upward, rolling as they showed William all of Joseph’s memories. They were as he expected, happiness, sadness, anger, all the normal human emotions and memories until he came across the ones that involved a place that he could only describe as hell. Creatures that looked like lesser demons, a destroyed dystopia of the city he was staying in and the man in a white, burned cloak who appeared numerous times.

When he’d finished with the memories, he flicked his eyes to Joseph’s face, finding himself wanting to go against reaper protocol for once. He decided to break the rules.

Without collecting the soul, he allowed the Cinematics to reel back into Joseph’s body as he opened his death ledger again and summoned a stamp, stamping Joseph’s page with the word ‘saved’. In the small box under Joseph’s bio, he wrote his reason for allowing Joseph to live and knew this was going to get him severe paperwork but this was the only time he’d do so.

Snapping the ledger closed again and sending away all his reaper items, Joseph began to wake with a groan. Kneeling down next to Joseph, he watched the human slowly come back to consciousness. Sure enough, moments later his eyes fluttered open, wincing as his head throbbed. “Welcome back, Oda.” Joseph blinked multiple times, feeling around for his glasses that had fallen off during his tumble until William placed them in his hand. “Another thing we have in common.” he stated.

“William?” the disoriented detective asked, blinking a few more times until William’s mostly expressionless face became clear. “What…happened?”

“You died.” William stated bluntly, offering a hand to Joseph. “You fell down the stairs and smacked your head effectively accidentally killing yourself.”

Joseph looked at the black gloved hand, before taking the offer, William standing and helping Joseph to his feet. “You…came here to reap me?” he confirmed, standing where he had died. “That’s why you’re here?”

“Exactly.” he folded his hands politely behind his back. “I was meant to reap you however I decided to give you a second chance.”

“Why?”

William shifted up his glasses, averting his eyes. “I have my reasons.”

“Well…thank you.” he said. “I’m…I’m really thankful you let me live.”

“Mm.” was William’s curt reply as he clicked out this pocket watch from his vest. “Now, if you’d excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

“Another reap?”

“No, I’m done with my collections for the day. I just wish to return to my apartment.”

“Well, if you were up for it, why don’t you stay for a bit and I can make us tea and dinner…ah, if reapers eat and drink that is.”

“We do not need too but the effects of starvation and dehydration are rather unpleasant.”

“Then stay for dinner and tea?”

William glanced at his pocket watch, watching the smaller hand tick by before deciding. “I believe that would be acceptable, thank you.” he nodded, returning his pocket watch to his vest pocket. “But you’ve not eaten yet?”

“I just wanted to go to bed but I’m wide awake now.” he stepped backwards toward the hall that led toward the downstairs washroom. “Go sit at the dining table, just inside the kitchen on your right. I’m going to get some aspirin for my headache.” William nodded again and as Joseph went off to fetch some aspirin, he made his way to the dining table, sitting himself on one of the chairs; crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands in his lap. He felt a bit odd about this. When was the last time he indulged in social interactions like this? Just sitting down for tea and dinner without discussing paperwork? Far too long ago; when he was alive. Now, could he actually pull this off? With limited social interactions of the non business kind, having a normal conversation would be quite the challenge for the introverted reaper. “So, tea.” Joseph said, entering the kitchen/dining area. “What kind of tea do you drink?”

“Whatever you have. I’m not the picky sort.” Nodding, Joseph produced two green tea bags and set them aside to boil the water.

Halfway through the silence as they waited for the water, Joseph suddenly realized he had death sitting at his dining table, waiting to enjoy a mea with him, to talk to him; that he had _died_ a few minutes ago and only because death was nice enough to let him live. Surreal was the perfect word for this. “So, is this your entire job” he asked, pouring the boiled water into a tea pot with the tea bags.

“This is what field reapers do, yes, though I am normally behind a desk.”

“Really?”

“Mm. I’m not a field reaper by any means but as I offered my services to this branch as they are understaffed, I’ve temporarily taken up reaping’s. Normally, I am the Manager of the London District, taking care of my reapers the best I can and looking over soul reports and such. A tedious, mind numbing job when you’ve doe it for as long as I have but, I believe I’m one of the few that would rather be here then…” he trailed of, his eyes growing distant. “Then not.”

Joseph set himself to work on making a quick dinner as he asked, “you told Sebastian and I you didn’t want to answer before, but, how do you become a Grim Reaper?”

“Through suffering, regret, depression and many other circumstances. It also depends on what you have on hand.”

The detective removed two frozen chicken breasts from the freezer and set them in a pan he had grabbed before turning up the dial to medium-high. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I wasn’t meant too.” he removed his glasses to wipe his eyes. “And of you? I may have seen your memories but I’d like to hear more about you from yourself.”

Joseph glanced over his shoulder. “My memories?”

“Yes. That’s what a Cinematic Record is. Memories of the dead shown to Grim Reapers so we may determine if you are worth continuing living. To be honest, you do not fit that criteria but I’ve accepted the paperwork in letting you live.”

Joseph returned to the stove, getting out another pot. “Well, thanks again.” he began boiling water for rice. “And there’s not much to say about me. I grew up in Canada where my parents moved from Japan and I was about twenty when I moved to Krimson.”

“I see. Then that’s one more thing to add to the list of things we have in common.”

“What? Canada?”

“No, Japan. My mother was from there when she met my father who was over from England on work.” he replied, setting his glasses back on his nose. “As I kept my middle name from you two before, it’s Takaeda.”

“Do you know any of the language?”

“Being a reaper for so long, I’m fluent in quite a lot of languages. Yourself?”

“A little bit but not enough to hold a conversation with anyone. Just enough to get me through a few words.”

“I see. Now, what was Canada like? I’ve heard it can get quite cold.”

“Yeah, it really can.” he replied, adding butter to the rice after he poured the water out. “I remember being snowed in a few times and school being cancelled. They also had really good coffee and Sebastian and I haven’t found a place that tastes the same.”

“Mm.” he folded his hands on the tabletop. “What of your partner, Sebastian? Are the two of you partners off duty as well?”

Joseph shifted, quickly turning attention to adding flavour to the meat. “N-Not really.”

William quirked an eyebrow. “No? Then is this unrequited love on his part? From what I’ve seen, you’re rather fond of him.”

Joseph’s shoulders slouched as he watched the meat sizzle and cook. “Yeah, I am but he’s already gone through hell and doesn’t need me adding to his list of problems.”

“You’re a problem to him?”

“I feel like I am sometimes.” he turned around and resting his back against the counter, crossing his arms. “And I know I would be. He’s technically still married to his missing wife, Myra, and he’s still mourning over his daughter and…we’re still getting over what happened.”

“I can assume you mean that hell?”

“Yeah, STEM.” he swallowed, remembering everything they had gone through. “It was run by a madman, Ruvik,” William listened as Joseph explained everything, everything still so clear in his mind, everything able to be described to the last detail. “I…I want to forget it but I know I’ll never be able too.” he finished when dinner and tea were ready.

“No, one would not.”

“Have you ever had any experiences like this, being a Grim Reaper and all?”

“I have with my own madman and dealt with him on a few occasions.”

“Who?”

“The Undertaker, the Legendary Grim Reaper. He’s caused havoc not only for me, but for all of us. Tampering with souls and such.”

“Hasn’t lately?” he asked, placing a cup of tea and plate of dinner in front of William, utensils placed beside the plate.

“I’m afraid he’s gone missing.” William replied with a thankful nod. “Again, he’s been able to avoid us and I’m afraid of what he has up his sleeve.”

“What damage can he do?”

William sipped from his tea, eyeing Joseph as he sat across from him with his own tea and dinner. “He can create a type of ‘Bizarre Doll’. Think of them as the modern day zombie.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Joseph shivered at the thought of STEM type creatures entering his real world. “Frightening.”

“Very and he’s not a force so easily taken down. In fact, he was able to beat a demon that I was an…acquaintance with and he was quite strong, able to defeat one of my stronger reapers and even he could not defeat Undertaker.”

“When did this battle take place?”

“Many,  _many_ , years ago.” he took a bite from the chicken with odd regal hand motions Joseph noted; very delicate. “This is wonderful, by the way.”

“Thanks. It was just quickly thrown together. How about the tea?”

“It’s just as, thank you.”

“Good.”

The dinner was enjoyed with mild conversation and once William helped Joseph clean up, they migrated to the living room and sat on the couch. “Again, thank you for tea. It was nice of you to offer.”

“Well, it’s a ‘thanks for not taking my soul’ sort of dinner.” he smiled playfully.

“I see.”

Joseph dropped his smile, looking down at his hands in his lap. Ever since William had mentioned seeing his memories and idea came into his mind. “William, I was thinking about this through dinner but when you say you see memories, perhaps you could help Sebastian and I on our murder cases. You could easily tell us who the mur-”

“No.”

Joseph stared at him, wide eyed. “Why not?”

“It’s classified reaper information. I’m already in trouble for saving you even though you do not provide anything to the world and I’d be digging myself another grave if I were to give away such information that resides in the memories of the deceased.”

“But, think of all the lives you’d save.”

William’s expressionless face hardly changed, only a cold glance was given to Joseph. “Humanity will survive with a few dead. The pain the family and friends feel will heal in time, that is, if the family actually cared.” he stated with an icy bite to his tone, eyes narrowing as he glared at nothing.

Joseph cocked his head, shifting a bit closer. “Did you not have a good family life alive?”

William tensed instantly at the hand placed on his thigh. Though he knew it was meant to be comforting, he shied away from the touch, gently pushing Joseph’s hand off him. “Please, do not touch me.”

Joseph blinked, dropping his hand back to his own lap. “Sorry.”

The reaper had meant to say something when his phone buzzed in his pocket. “Pardon me a moment.” he said before answering the call. “Yes?”

_“Spears, glad I was able tae reach ye ‘fore ye went tae bed. Look, I went through every file we ‘ad on reported strange reapin’s an’ I did find a report of erased memories.”_

“You did?”

_“Aye.”_

“What did it say?”

_“Apparently, memories were bein’ wiped because the dead forgot everythin’ ‘bout their life seconds ‘fore they died.”_

“They forgot everything?”

_“Aye.”_

William thought about it before saying to Eric, “Thank you Slingby. Let me know if you find anything else.”

_“Will do. G’nigh’ Spears.”_

“Good morning Slingby.” he hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he began to reconsider Joseph’s words. He would need to watch those on the to die list more carefully now and perhaps working with detectives would allow him just a bit more leverage on this. He might have been able to see memories but detectives would be able to scout out anything off or wrong with the area, something he would overlook otherwise. “Perhaps,” he began, turning to face Joseph, “I’m willing to help you and your partner.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so long as you help me.”

“How?”

“There is something afoot in the Underworld and if I cannot read the memories of the dead, then I’ll need someone who’s able to notice subtle changes in the environment I would miss and that may help me catch whoever is easing memories.”

“Easy.” he said with confidence, standing. “Let me call Sebastian over and you can fill him in on this.”

“Alright.”

Joseph made the call and within a few minutes, Sebastian arrived, a death glare sent to William once he saw the reaper. “Why are you here? Joseph isn’t going to die, is he?”

“Technically, he already did.” William corrected.

“What?!”

“Clam down Seb.” Joseph said, resting his hands on Sebastian’s stiff shoulders. “William isn’t gonna hurt us.”

“Did you hear him? You’re already dead!”

“Well, no, he’s not.” William corrected again. “Mr. Castellanos, I know how odd this must look, but I’ve given Oda a second chance at life even if, by reaper law, he does not deserve it.”

“Bastard.”

William adjusted his glasses. “You do remind me of Slingby somewhat.”

Sebastian grit his teeth. “Okay, so if Joseph’s not gonna die, why the fuck are you here?”

“I’m here for two reasons. One, I was here on a collection that never happened and two, I stayed as Oda was nice enough to invite me to stay for tea.”

Sebastian side glanced at his partner. “Getting friendly with the reaper, are ya?”

Rolling his eyes, Joseph moved to return to his spot next to William, crossing his arms over his chest. “I thanked him for not letting me die and anyway, William is going to be a good ally to have. He’s a Grim Reaper that can read the memories of the dead, Seb. Do you realize how easy it’d be to catch killers with him around?”

When he heard ‘he’s a Grim Reaper that can read memories’ an idea struck him, leaving William with an unsettled stomach at the sudden glee in Sebastian’s golden orbs. “Lily.” he said, “you can see Lily’s memories.”

“Pardon? Lily?”

“My daughter. You can see her memories and that’ll show us what the hell happened the night of the fire.”

William straightened his back. “When did she die, exactly?”

“February eleventh, twenty-twelve.”

William once again adjusted his glasses, closing his eyes as he replied, “I am sorry, Castellanos, but the memories of someone who died over four years ago are much more difficult to get a hold of. Her memories are already stored in the Library and as I am not the Manager of this district, it’d be quite the task to get a hold of them.”

Just as William opened his eyes, he gasped when Sebastian fisted his jacket, grasping the lapels of the black fabric and lifting him up and off the couch. “I don’t give a damn if they’re hard to get. You can get my Lily’s memories and you’re _going_ to get them, you hear me?”

“Mm, you’re not very threatening.”

“No? Well, how ‘bout this.”

“Sebastian!” Joseph cried out when Sebastian pulled out his gun.

“This threatening?”

“Not really.”

“No?”

“You cannot kill a reaper with a mortal gun. Now, if that was a reaper pistol with death scythe bullets, yes, I’d be a tad terrified. Though that gun of yours would hurt, it would not kill me.”

Sebastian scowled and threw William to the floor before holstering his gun. “Fucker.”

William fixed his glasses as he looked up to Sebastian from where he lay, his dead heart beating just once as his memory supplied him with an image of a young girl who looked so similar to him; the last day he’d been alive, her smile just keeping him there for just that bit longer. “I…” he sighed. “I shall do my best to retrieve her memories.”

Sebastian turned to him. “Yeah?”

“Yes.” he pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his trousers and straightening his suit. “I cannot promise anything but I will try.”

“And never pull a gun on him again.” Joseph added. “It wouldn’t kill him like he said, but I’d rather not have Grim Reaper brains on my couch, thank you.”

Sebastian rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry. Wasn’t thinking right.”

“Obviously.”

William shook his head to the two. “Anyhow, do we all have a deal? Help me and I’ll help you?”

“Yes.” Joseph said, holding out his hand, William shaking it.

“And you, Castellanos?”

Sebastian nodded, gripping William’s hand tightly. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is significantly longer then any other chapter thus far. Sorry about that XD


	4. Chapter 4

“Though I’ve agreed to work with the two of you, you still feel the need to shove me around.” William mused to himself after Sebastian had shoved him, again, into the backseat of the police cruiser.

“I didn’t think death was so fragile…or whiny.” came Sebastian snide reply. “Now, tell us where we’re going.”

After an unrestful sleep for William, he had ported to Joseph’s home where Sebastian and the younger detective were waiting. He’d saved Erik Drake’s memories from the collection and upon reviewing them, he was promptly dragged outside. “Your murderer is Austin Lawrence.” he finally divulged, scythe sat across in his lap. “From the memories of Mr. Drake, Lawrence had knocked on the back door then held a sort of blade to Drake’s neck to force him into the living room where Lawrence slit his neck and the memories end.”

Joseph grit his teeth. “The neighbour, damn it.” he peered over his shoulder to William. “Anything else?”

“I’m afraid that is all.”

“Fuck.” Sebastian cussed with a scowl. “Now, hang on. Before we make an arrest, we have to have evidence and unless you wanna tell everyone at the station your a Grim Reaper who can see memories, we don’t have any evidence.”

“That is up to the two of you.” William stated. “I simply provided you with your killer, though I’m sure if you appear on his doorstep to arrest him, he’ll run and you may charge him with resisting arrest or something of the sort.”

Joseph gave a sort of defeated shrug. “If he is guilty, which William says he is, then William has a point. Handcuff him then we’ll search for any blade type weapon.”

“Search his place without a warrant?”

“Oh, so _now_ your concerned about police protocol? When we literally _know_ who the killer is?”

Sebastian adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “When _I know_ who it is, no. I’m taking the son of a bitch down, damn the rules but when we’re puttin’ trust into a _Grim Reaper_ , I’m a bit more hesitant because you could get us into a lot of shit, Will, if you’re fucking with us.”

William’s eye twitched. “Either William or Mr. Spears to you, however that is of no concern of mine. You chose to believe me and, though I am quite honest, I could have easily lied to the two of you to get you to go after the wrong man.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, glaring at William through the rear-view mirror. “You’d better be helping us, _Will_.”

He ignored the use of the dreadful nickname. “I am.”

After a bit of silence, Joseph turned in his seat to speak to William directly. “So, that scythe of yours, why is it shaped like a gardening tool?”

William looked down at his scythe, grasping it around the middle to examine it for the millionth time. “To be frank, I’m unsure. Our scythes have always been modified to resemble gardening equipment. They’ve been this way before my grandfather was even a thought. At first, I had assumed they were meant to fit in properly but they stuck out greatly in both the era I grew up and worked in. A traditional scythe would have fit in much better back then and even so today. Thus, I haven’t an answer to your question.” he rested his finger over the trigger. “However, I can appreciate the reach of my scythe, keeping demon mongrels at a safe distance.”

“You run into demons often?”

“Tch, more often then I would like.” he returned his scythe to rest over his lap. “A demon by the name Sebastian Michaelis was often the case of most my paperwork and the distraction of one of my reapers.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Not enough if this district is understaffed. Now, whether that is a good or bad thing is entirely up to you.”

Again, the ride fell silent and before anymore questions could be asked, they arrived at their destination. “Alright Will.” You stay here while Joseph and I get the guy.” Sebastian said.

William gave a simple shrug. “If you wish me too, I shall.”

Joseph readied his hand to unsheathe his gun if need be while he followed behind Sebastian up to the front door. He took a quick glance back to see what William was doing but found him gone; Sebastian banged his fist against the door before he could say anything. “Open up Lawrence.” he demanded.

They were left without an answer before the door slowly creaked open just a bit to allow Austin to speak and see through the small crack. “Yeah?”

“We need you to come with us.”

The man quickly scanned the two. “Why?”

“We have some questions to ask you.”

“I already answered them.”

He began closing the door but Sebastian shoved it fully open with hard enough force to make the door slam against the wall. “You’re coming with us.” he nearly growled.

“I haven’t done anything!” he defended.

“Then you won’t have a problem comin’ down to the station with us and answering a few questions.”

Joseph noted Austin reaching behind himself and quickly drew his gun, pointing it at Austin’s head. “Hold it.”

Austin glared at him before whipping around and throwing a vase at Joseph then darting towards the back of the house. Sebastian charged after him a split second after seeing Joseph was alright but found Austin already apprehended. He was pinned to the ground with clippers clamped around his neck. Following the long metal pole, Sebastian found William standing atop the roof. “You do realize you have a Grim Reaper willing and able to help you, don’t you?” he questioned when he landed next to Sebastian after jumping down. “Yet you tell me to sit in the car.”

“I didn’t think you’d be this useful.” he muttered as he removed his handcuffs then knelt down to cuff Austin. “Alright. You’re going to be waiting with Detective Oda while we look around.” he explained to Austin while dragging him inside. “Look after him.” Joseph gave a nod, forcing Austin to sit against the wall. Sebastian then went right to work with William at his side. Oddly enough, Sebastian felt secure with death looming over him. There was just something so empowering about having a reaper at his side. “You sense anything?” he asked, rummaging through cupboards in the kitchen.

“No.” he replied with his normal frown. “I sense nothing.” that was until Sebastian moved to the living room and opened the bottom cabinet of the bookcase. Instantly, an offending scent wafted under William’s nose and it took him everything he had not to wretch. “Do not touch it.” he ordered, snatching Sebastian’s wrist that reached for the dagger inside.

“Why?”

“It’s a demons scent that belongs to this.” he reached in instead to retrieve the dagger, examining it every which way. The blade was extremely sharp; a simply light touch to the tip would leave a deep would, even through gloves. The black iron blade was straight as an arrow with red, vein, like markings etched into it. The hilt was black as well with a skull at the base and a skull with ruby eyes that held the hilt and blade together with two little horns sticking out from either side the skull. “Damn creatures.”

“Obviously it’s not a normal dagger with your reaction. So what kind of weapon is it?”

“A demons blade.” he replied with a scowl directed toward the weapon. “I’ve heard of it once before. I believe it was named, the Crying Razor as it collects any blood it spills then ‘cries’ it into a special chalice to be drank from. It’s normally meant for rituals, things of that sort. Why he has it, I’m at a loss. This isn’t easy for anyone to get, let alone a mortal unless they had demonic connections.”

Sebastian blinked a few times, slowly nodding when William finished. “Okay. Let’s ask the prick then.”

William followed and once Austin’s eyes were on the dagger, his eyes grew distant and fogged over. Knowing this was out of their area of expertise, the detectives allowed William full control over the situation as they looked on in curiosity and horrified awe. “How did you come into contact wit this weapon?” he asked. Instead of a reply, the man leaned forward, trying to lick it of all things to which William yanked the blade back. “What are you doing?”

“I need it.”

“Pardon?”

“I need it.” he stressed, craning his neck forward even more. “Please. Please, let me feel it…taste it.”

William eyed the dagger before deciding to let the man do as he wanted. He lifted the dagger to the mans mouth, the three of them watching as the man licked the blade from the tip to the hilt, cutting his tongue as he did so, the veins in the blade soaking up the blood. “Strange.” William uttered to himself, standing even as the man tried to follow with his tongue to get more of a taste.

“Strange? The mans infatuated with it.” Joseph gaped.

William used the tips of the pinchers of his scythe to adjust his glasses. “Welcome to my side of reality.” he said. “I’ve never dealt with this specific dagger but I’ve encountered mortals like him before.”

“You have?”

“Of course however his display over this item is a warning to the two of you not to touch it. I’m afraid you might become just as attracted to it.” he examined the dagger again. “However, this is the murder weapon. It’s the only thing that can make a cut that sharp as the one in the body.”

“Wait. You said it’d suck up the blood. If so, why was there blood around the body?” Sebastian questioned, arms crossed.

“Blood it touches. I should have clarified that, but yes. Only the blood it touches will soak into the blade…mm, still. How did this end up in mortal hands? Demons are normally very picky on who obtains such items. Normally, those of unstable minds are given such things, but him? No, something isn’t right.” he tried again, kneeling down to the man. “How did you obtain this?”

“I was given it.” he replied, eyes locked onto the dagger in longing. “Please, let me feel it in my hands.”

William said nothing as he sent the dagger away to his apartment. “With the state he’s in now, I’m sure you’ll get a full confession of his crime.”

“You aren’t coming?” Joseph asked while Sebastian took the criminal to the car.

“I shall be returning to my flat in order to contact a few associates and fill out my paperwork that I have waiting for me.”

“Then, how can we contact you?”

William reached into his inner breast pocket, producing a card with his name and number on it. “This will allow you to reach me.”

Joseph took the business card, quickly reading it over before meeting William’s eyes again. “Thank you.” William gave a bow then, before Joseph’s eyes, ported away with a quick wave of his hand. It was a strange sight but what did he expect from a Grim Reaper?

With him returning to his partner, William had ported himself right outside the office door of the superior he was temporarily working under. He needed to compose himself before entering the office of his American supervisor. “Mr. Spears.” the man greeted, William getting a taste of what his reapers felt when he had his, piercing, cold eyes burning through them. Still, he kept his composure. “Mr. Horne.” he greeted in return. “I’m pleased to have finally met you.”

“I would say the same under different circumstances.” he gestured to one of the two armchairs placed before his desk. “We have things to discuss.”

William placed himself in one of the chairs, back straight and hands folded politely in his lap. He hadn’t felt this young in ages; the last time he had been in this position, it wasn’t his fault but the fault of his mentor at the time. “This is about letting the mortal live, correct?”

“Correct.” Horne lent back in his seat, tapping his pen against the desks surface. “Tell me. What purpose does he have to live? Will he change the world in someway that he deserved a second chance?”

“No sir.”

“Would he be the cause of chaos if he died?”

“No.”

“Then why did you allow him to live? What did you see in him that made you break that law?”

William bowed his head, clenching his hands tighter together. “My…myself.” he admitted.

“Yourself?” he repeated.

“Yes sir.” he lifted his head. “I saw myself in him and for selfish reasons, allowed him to live so that I may make acquaintance with him.”

Horne shook his head. “Here, I was expecting to get the help of one of London’s best reapers but it seems your youth has caught up to you.”

William bit his tongue at the statement. Being the youngest manager of any district ever, he had many above him look down upon him but as normal when someone would comment about him being to young for the job, he held his tongue in order to avoid further conflict. “I apologize. It will not happen again.”

“If it does, the Board will know of it.”

William stiffened, swallowing thickly at the mention of the Board. That wouldn't be good if they knew of this. “Thank you for keeping this between us.”

“Yes, yes.” he offhandedly gestured to the door. “Continue on with your day.”

William stood with a bow then exited the office. Honestly, he really did only have to blame himself. Joseph’s soul should have been collected but instead, he allowed himself to break one of the most important rules of reaper; showing some sort of emotion and at the moment, his had been sympathy and giving in to curiosity…and he also had to get the records of Lily Castellanos as well. Fantastic.

Stealing his emotions, he made his way to the office he’d been assigned for his stay and found it nearly bare save the desk, chair and typewriter. At least the office he had in London had some colour and decor to it with the flowers Alan had so graciously gifted him.

Pushing any other thoughts aside, he had just sat down to get to work, fingers poised on the keys of the typewriter when his phone buzzed. Finding himself alone, he allowed himself an annoyed sigh as he checked the caller ID. Oda already? Dearly hoping he wasn’t needed in another case so soon, he answered. “Oda.”

_“William, um, hi. Am I interrupting anything?”_

William glanced at his papers. “Not entirely.”

_“Well, great. I just wanted to call and tell you how things went. The Chief was impressed we caught the killer so fast, so I wanted to call and say thanks.”_

William quirked a brow at that. “There is no need to thank me. It’s part of our deal, is it not?”

_“Yes, it is, but you made it so much easier for us by helping us so you deserve a thank you.”_

“Though I believe I do not, if you insist, you’re welcome.”

_“What about you? Have you found Lily’s memories yet?”_

“I haven’t, no. As I said, they are going to be rather tricky to get as I do not have the clearance to view collected memories here.”

_“…will you be able to?”_

“I’m uncertain but as we have a deal, I will try to uphold my end of it.”

_“Sebastian would appreciate it.”_

“I’m sure he would.” he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Oda…”

_“Yes?”_

William thought about what he wanted to say next then decided against it. This was his chance to maybe make a friend and he wasn’t going to ruin it by telling Joseph he regretted letting him live. “It’d just going to be a long day.”

_“Then…would you like to over after work for a drink or two? We both could use one.”_

“A drink?”

_“Do you drink?”_

“Not often but I believe one would be fine.”

_“Then come over after you’re done and we’ll relax.”_

“I shall.” William said nothing else as he hung up.

 

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_  

 

In the middle of taking two wine glasses from the cabinet, Joseph heard a faint odd sound behind him and when he turned around to see what the sound was, he jumped from seeing William sat on his couch “Don’t do that.” he grinned. “You scared me.”

“So I saw.”

Joseph continued grinning as he approached William. “White or red?” he asked, handing William an empty wine glass.

“As with the tea, I’m not picky. Either will do.”

Joseph nodded and left only to return moments later with a bottle of red wine. “You look exhausted.” he commented, pouring William his glass. “But being a reaper is tiring, right?”

“More so then you’d think.” he nodded his thanks. “But, it comes with the action.” he took a sip, enjoying how smoothly it slid down his throat. “Pleasant.”

“Sebastian gave it to me when he was drunk one night. He said it’d make me loosen up then he threw up on my floor.”

William quirked an eyebrow. “Alcoholic?”

“Yeah…” he frowned, sitting next to William when he filled his glass. “I’ve tried to get him to quit but he’ll only quit when he’s either dead or he’s got revenge for Lily and finds Myra.”

William found himself frowning as well, gently swirling the wine in his glass. “Your partner does remind me even more of Slingby.”

“You mention him a lot. Is he your partner?”

William hardly stopped himself from spitting out his wine, covering his mouth to catch the bit that did pass his lips. “Goodness no!” he removed his handkerchief from his other inner breast pocket to wipe his lips. “He and I are hardly even…friends. I speak of him as much as I do as he used to be my mentor when I was in the academy. I have high respect for him though he can be quite an annoyance at times.” he tucked his cloth back into his pocket. “It’s just, as we have similarities between us, your partner and Slingby do as well. They’re both rather stubborn, tough, have an unhealthy addiction to unhealthy things, Slingby smoking, Sebastian drinking and both are torn by loosing those whom they love.”

“I suppose.” he took a sip, though never meeting Eric, could only imagine what he looked like if he and Sebastian were similar like he and William were. “And I suppose being a reaper, you outlive those you love, right?”

“In most cases, yes but in Eric’s case, he’s watching his lover die.” he gave a humourless smile. “He’s watching death, die. We all are.”

“How?”

“His partner of many years is Alan Humphries, and one of my best reapers. A young man that has quite the affinity for flowers and a kindness that was his downfall, ultimately showing too much emotion to those he must reap.” he took a sip. “His empathy was he cause of his sickness, that, until he contracted it, was a legend among us, something used to scare the academy reapers into schooling their emotions.” he bowed his head. “Unfortunately, they exist and they are named, the Thorns of Death.”

“Sounds…painful.”

“They are.” he turned his body to properly face Joseph. “The thorns are a vengeful cinematic record that buries into the reaper collecting it as it tries to cling to life yet snuffing out the life they cling too. The outward effect of the thorns are faint, tattoo like markings of thorns, thus their name, that imprint into the skin wherever they touch and sprout. Inwardly, they cause Alan to have something akin to a heart attack. Whenever he is exposed to really anything that will off set him, tiredness, sadness, anger and sometimes nothing at all, the thorns will tear through his body, spearing closer to his heart. Though we are dead, our hearts still beat, still give us artificial life and once the thorns pierce through Alan’s heart, he’ll be…dead.”

Joseph blinked. “What happens after a reaper dies? Do you just come back?”

“If only. No, I’m afraid. If we perish, we are left to float in an eternal darkness that we will never be saved from, no matter what happens.”

“And there’s a way to save him?”

“A legend of a thousand innocent souls but it’s a myth just as the thorns were and by the time someone would illegally collect these souls, Alan would most likely be dead.” he took another sip. “Thus all Eric an do is comfort Alan during one of his attacks…they’re awful things.”

“They sound like it.” his mind returned to his partner. “I couldn’t imagine seeing Sebastian go through something like that…” he frowned. “Then again, I guess I did with Myra and Lily.” he drank half his glass in one go. “I just want Sebastian to be happy again.”

“I’m sure, one day, he will be.”

“I…” he rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead. “I don’t know William.” he finished the rest of his glass before pouring himself another.

Apparently, Joseph wanted to forget their conversation as William noted him drinking far more then the younger man was able to hold. After six glasses, Joseph’s words slurred and he could hardly keep himself upright. William only had two himself and found it slightly entertaining to watch Joseph act in such a way until Joseph did something that stunned William for longer then it should have. It was a connection he hadn’t had in so long, he forgot what it felt like. Joseph had kissed him and it wasn’t a simple peck either but a full on kiss Alan and Eric no doubt shared nightly or the kiss Joseph wanted to give his partner.

He could feel Joseph’s tongue brush his, their glasses clinking together as Joseph tried to get closer. He was surprised he hadn’t spilt his wine yet.

When he finally regained himself from the shock, he pushed Joseph back, finding his drunken smile to be a bit endearing. “Honestly Oda.” he huffed, setting his glass aside to avoid spilling any wine. “Had you planned to drink this much?”

“Maaaaaybe.” he beamed, resting against William, stretching out over him like a cat would. “You’re soooooo warm.”

“May you get off me?”

“Don’t wanna.”

Somehow, William was able to tolerate Joseph’s antics, including a few more kisses he couldn’t avoid, these at least tame little pecks, until the younger man passed out over William’s lap. William sighed, fixing his crooked glasses. “Honestly.” he muttered. Sliding an arm under Joseph’s knees and placing one arm to support his back, William shifted Joseph so he could stand properly, lifting the light detective into his arms. He hadn’t planned the night to end like this, but as William made his way to the stairs, assuming Joseph’s bedroom was on the second level, he found himself enjoying the close proximity of someone else. It was…nice.

It didn’t take long for William to find Joseph’s bedroom and, as he’d meant to deposit the younger man on the bed, he found himself following Joseph when the detective secured his arms around William’s neck. Joseph was just pretending to sleep, he knew that much as he couldn’t pry the arms from him. Well, if Joseph wanted him to stay, perhaps he could enjoy a bit of company tonight. It was rare he indulged in anything like this, but he was actually wanted and that made him feel odd inside.

Removing his and Joseph’s glasses to place them safely on the nightstand, he shifted to rest next to Joseph, resting his head on the pillow. He found once he laid down, the arms around his neck loosened and he could see a faint smirk on Joseph’s lips through his blurred eyesight. Rolling his eyes, he allowed them to close and he fell asleep with company by his side for the first time in a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

It nearly felt too early to wake up but as the sun glared through the window, striking this face and bathing it in a warm glow, he decided it was a better way to wake up then with his alarm clock. However, he couldn’t fight the urge to return to sleep. At first, he tried pulling up the blankets to cover his face but found he couldn’t find the blankets - he probably kicked them off thus he chose the next option; rolling over and shoving his face into the pillow next to him.

Oddly enough, the pillow smelt wonderful. He couldn’t place the scent but it reminded him of what he thought the old days would have been like, the black and white era. It had a wonderful charm to it and he couldn’t help inhaling deeply to smell it again. Then he remembered he had a guest in bed with him the night before then everything came back to him and his cheeks turned to roses they were so red. He’d gotten drunk enough to kiss an unwilling man then nearly forced William to sleep wit him - thankfully not in the sexual sense. “Damn it.” he groaned, pulling the pillow closer to his face, hoping to suffocate so he wouldn’t need to see William again.

“Awake then?”

Apparently, that wasn’t an option. He held in another groan while shifting to sit up, blocking the bright sun with his hand over his forehead. Though vision blurry, he was still able to see William’s dark form with both hands holding something. “Yeah…” his cheeks grew redder still though he tried to will the blush away. “I’m sorry for how I acted last night.”

“There is no harm done.” William replied, moving to place himself next to Joseph. “I thought you would need this.”

Joseph knew William held a glass of water and aspirin as he picked up the small white pill from William’s black gloved hand. “Thanks.” he said before taking the aspirin and chasing it with the water.

“You’re quite welcome.” he responded, reaching over for Joseph’s glasses. “These as well.”

“Those too.” he nodded, taking his glasses. “I really am sorry for the way I acted though.” he apologized, sliding his glasses on to his nose so William’s face was no longer blurry.

William waved his hand, dismissing the apology. “I’ve dealt with drunkards before.”

“No! No, I’m not an alcoholic, it’s just…what we talked about last night really…” he trailed off, eyes flicking to the blankets they slept on. “Hurt.” he finished after a minute silence.

“I guessed as much and I wasn’t implying you to be a drunkard. I simply meant I’ve dealt with antics like yours before.”

Joseph rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, please don’t let last night ruin how you think of me.”

“I shan’t.”

Joseph nodded, shifting to bend one knee up. “By the way, you smell really good.” William quirked an eyebrow at that. “The pillow you used. It smells really nice.”

“Ah. That’d have to be the cologne I bought back in nineteen forty-five I believe. Well, it was more of a gift but I quite like the scent of it.”

“…you have cologne from all the way back then? How are you able to get more?”

“I don’t use it often. With this being my first time in America, I decided to bring it with me.”

“Well, it’s a wonderful scent.”

“I’m glad you agree.” he gave a polite bow of his head then turned his attention to the alarm clock. “When does your day begin?”

“Normally around six and Sebastian comes by around seven.”

“Ah.”

“What time is it?” Joseph’s answer was promptly given by the sudden shrill beeping of his alarm to which William promptly shut off. “Six. Great.” he looked down at himself, inspecting his clothes and unsurprised when he found them wrinkled. “I’d better get ready and sort all this out.” he glanced up at William again. “Would you like to stay for breakfast?”

“As much as I would enjoy doing so, I have much to do in my realm. Paperwork piles up quite quickly I’m afraid.”

“Well, I’ll call if there’s another murder case. Or, wait.” he said as he thought. “Don’t you have a death list? Shouldn’t that tell you where to meet us instead of me calling you?”

“Yes, however, my death list may vary on what soul to collect first meaning I could be across the city at a death you do not even know about yet while you and your partner may be at a murder scene I’ve yet to reap. Even so, other reapers are at work as well. I may not even have the same death as the one your sent to look into.”

Joseph nodded. “Fair enough.”

William bid Joseph farewell before porting to his temporary office, leaving Joseph to sort himself out. He ended up skipping his normal breakfast in order to iron out his clothes; opting for a quick apple before getting into the car with Sebastian just as it turned seven. “Morning.” the older man greeted, eyeing his partner up and down. “For once, you look like shit.”

“Yeah, I know.” he bit into his apple. “Late night.”

“Why?”

“Just a late night.” he shrugged. “I invited William over for a few drinks and had a bit too much.”

Sebastian bit back a scowl, tightening his hands on the steering wheel instead. “You invited the reaper over for drinks?”

“Yeah. Is that a bad thing?”

“So I was right when I said you were getting friendly with the reaper, wasn’t I?”

Rolling his eyes, Joseph took another bite. “No. Just a few drinks and me making a fool out of myself was all that happened last night. That’s it.” he said after swallowing.

“All that happened? That’s it?” the older man snorted as he pulled away from the curb. “You make it sound like you banged.”

Joseph stiffened, eyes flying wide at the very thought. “We didn’t!”

Sebastian gave him a quick glare. “Don’t get so angry. Was only a joke.”

Another bite into his apple allowed him to fume quietly to himself. He knew it was just Sebastian playing around but honestly, he wasn’t in the mood for anything jokey this morning. The aspirin had only worked so much and he could feel the edge of his headache returning. “I’m sorry if I’m a bit snappy today.”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” there was silence again though both wouldn’t call it awkward. Just a silent ride to work and silence still as they entered their office, Joseph dropping the apple core in the bin on their way inside.

About to sit down and begin their paperwork, the Chief stormed in, face red with anger “What the hell did you two idiots do?”

They exchanged confused looks before Sebastian replied, “How the hell should we know?”

The Chief slammed his hands down on Sebastian’s desk. “The ‘killer’ you brought in yesterday says he’s ben framed all of a sudden and that he was blackmailed into keeping the murder weapon at his house.”

Sebastian’s nearly snapped the pencil in half with the grip he had. “He pleaded innocent all of a sudden?”

“Yes.” he pointed to the door. “Now get your asses in the integration room and fix this. We don’t need the name of KCPD ruined anymore then it has been with you two involved in the Beacon scandal.”

It took everything Sebastian had not to thrown his stapler at the back of his bosses head before he slammed the door on his way out. “What the fuck?” he snapped to Joseph. “That dead son of a bitch lied to us?”

“I don’t think William did.” Joseph instantly defended. “William isn’t the man to lie. I’m sure it’s something else.”

“We pretty much just met the guy and you already have him figured out?” he waved his pencil at Joseph. “You two did something, I know it.”

“Nothing.” he protested again, standing. “Now come on. Let’s see what’s gone wrong.”

Joseph led the way to the interrogation room and upon opening the door, they found Austin to be unlike he’d been when they brought him in yesterday. He was shaking, scared with wide, frightened eyes. “The hell?” Sebastian muttered.

“I didn’t do it!” he snapped suddenly, when he saw the two enter. “I swear I didn’t! I was framed!”

“Alright, calm down.” Joseph said calmly, taking a seat across from the table as Sebastian stood next to him, arms folded over his chest.

“Tell us everything.” Sebastian demanded.

Eagerly nodding, Austin began. “I-I was minding my own business, walking home from work, the bakery shop I told you about, and was suddenly stopped by this really weird looking guy. He talked to me for a bit then left and when I got home, I found the dagger in my messenger bag I carry my laptop in, a note too! It said that if I didn’t keep the dagger, I’d be killed! But I didn’t kill my neighbour! I swear I didn’t!”

Joseph quickly glanced up at Sebastian then asked, “what did the man look like?”

“I dunno. He…he had this weird hat with long, silver…? No! White? something like that, hair and his bags were coverin’ his eyes so I couldn't’ see them. He was dressed in a really weird get up, black robes with buckle boots, also had, like, lockets around his waist and long black nails!”

“Anything else?”

“Ah…scars! He had a scar across his face, around his neck and pinky.” he leant forward in his seat as if to share a secret. “But what was really weird, it was like I was the only one who could see him.”

Sebastian leant down to Joseph’s ear upon hearing that. “You think he’s got somethin’ to do with your reaper friend?”

Honestly, Joseph wasn’t sure. William was well dressed with hair slicked back to keep bangs from his eyes and he wore glasses. The man described seem the complete opposite of William. “I don’t think so.”

With an audible ‘ hmm’ Sebastian leant back up and placed his hands on the table to lean on his arms. “Anything else weird about him? Did he carry something that would be out of place outside a gardening shed?”

“No.”  


Another difference. No scythe. “I don’t think William would know anything.” Joseph said once they exited the room. “Though he did say the dagger was demonic so maybe the man Austin ran into was a demon.”

Sebastian shook his head. “The last demon we saw _was_ a demon. It looked like the creatures described in books. The man Lawrence described didn’t sound anything like the demon we saw.”

“Can’t demons take on many forms?”

“I guess but I’m not getting demon from what he’s telling us.”

“When did you ever ‘get demon’ from anything?”

“…that’s not the point. The point is, I’m thinking it’s not a demon.” he brushed fingers through his loose brown hair. “There’s something fucked about all of this.”

“Of course there is. We’re talking about Grim Reapers and demons. That’s fucked in every sense.”

Sebastian gave a nod and whatever he was about to say next was halted when the Chief came up to them “Sort everything out?”

“Not quite yet sir, but we’re getting there.”

“Well, this can wait until you two get back.” he handed Joseph a file. “Another murder. Same M. O as the first.”

“Lewis Morgan, forty-six, found dead in his living room with his throat slit. No criminal record.” Joseph read. “Who reported the body?”

“The neighbour.” the Chief and Sebastian said together. “Great.” Sebastian sighed.

The Chief glared at them. “Any more cases like this pop up and their on your hands. I want this killer found and I want the _right_ killer found.”

Sebastian turned to Joseph when the Chief was out of their vision. “Now what? I thought the kid in there was the killer but now there’s two?”

Joseph read the file over again, itching to get out his phone. “Let’s go to the seen first and see if it’s _exactly_ like the first one before we jump to any conclusions.”

Sebastian didn’t have much choice in the matter so they left the station and drove to the murder scene. Thankfully, the murder hadn’t been released to the public yet making the area free of annoying press. “Looks like the last one so far.” Sebastian stated. The front door was unlocked when they tried the knob and upon stepping inside, both could see there was no mistaking it. There was another killer. The body lay in the same position with the same cut used by the same weapon in the exact same spot. “This speaks for itself.” Sebastian added, kneeling down to the body. “Hasn’t been dead long either.”

Joseph clasped his fingers together and brought them to his lips, tapping the bottom one as he thought then remembered something. “Hang on Sebastian.” he said, removing his phone from his pants pocket. “Remeber that photo I showed you of the footprints?”

“Yeah.”

“Lawrence said the man he spoke with was wearing boots, right?”

“And?”

“Well, remember the bootprints in the photo I took? They appeared a few steps just before the door and that was it? There was no indication they’d walked up to the door or that they left?”

Sebastian took the phone Joseph offered him when he found the right photo. “Shit, you’re right.” he looked up, passing Joseph back his phone. “You’re agreeing it’s a demon or a reaper then?”

“We don’t know much about demons, but I’m betting it’s another reaper, so yes. I am.”

“Then what about the weapon? From the look of that thing, there could only be one.”

“And William has it?”

“Do you think it’s Will?” Sebastian suggested. “He was there at the first crime and now has the dagger.”

Joseph thought about it but ultimately shook his head. “He did have it during the first one.”

Sebastian had to agree there. “And he looked genuinely surprised to find it.” he spoke, standing. 

“We don’t know any other reapers so maybe this was another one. William did say, this morning before he left, that-”

“Wait.” Sebastian held up his hands. “Wait, before he left? He spent the night?”

“Yes. Why?”

“In your bed?”

Joseph rolled his eyes. “Yes but there was nothing intimate about it. I was drunk, I got him to bed and we slept on top of the covers fully clothed. Besides, we were talking about some…arousal killing topics before hand anyway and why do I have to explain myself to you?”

“You didn’t. I just wanted to know if you and him banged or not.”

“I already said we didn’t!” he huffed. “But _anyway_ , he said there are other reapers at work.”

Sebastian looked down at the body. “So what? Either we go on a killing spree to get other reapers to show up or we throw ourselves into constant near death situations?”

“Of course not. We could simply ask William to do it.”

“You think he’s going to go around questioning every reaper on our hunch? I don’t think so.” he looked toward the front door. “Alright, first, let’s check for any footprints. You get the back and I’ll get the front.”

Joseph gave a nod then made his way to the back door, finding it unlocked as well. Kneeling down, he examined the ground for any imprints in the still half wet mud but just as he found something, a shadow loomed over him. Turning around, he found a man standing on the roof, the sun being blocked by his form, Joseph hardly able to make out any details about him. “Reaper?” he guessed, squinting to try and see better. “Grim Reaper?” the man said nothing only teetered back and forth on the roofs edge. “Answer me.” again, he was quiet then evaporated into thin air when Sebastian came out.

“Who were you talkin’ to?”

“I don’t know…” he gestured to the roof. “Someone was standing there. I don’t know what or who they were but they vanished when you came.”

“Reaper?”

“No idea.” he turned his attention back to what he found early. “I did find this, however.” he knelt down to the same set of footprints he’d taken a photo of at the first murder scene. “Bootprints leading in and just appearing a few steps away from the door.”

“You think it was that figure on the roof?”

“Maybe. It did have long hair and a hat so maybe it was the man Lawrence told us about.”

“You think?”

“I do.” he stood back up. “Now we just have to find who killed Morgan and the dagger.”

“Shouldn’t William have it?”

Joseph looked at his phone. “I’ll call him I guess.” he removed William’s card from his pocket and dialled the number rather quickly, 444-444-413. _“Yes?”_

“William.”

_ “I’m rather busy at the moment Oda. Please make it quick.” _

“Alright. Do you still have the dagger you collected from us yesterday?”

_ “I should. Why? Please tell me-there’s been another case, hasn’t there?” _

“Exactly the same, yes.”

He heard a sigh. _“Well then, I shall return to my flat when I am finished with all I have here. Good day Oda.”_

“Wi-” he hung up, “lliam.” he hung up as well with a frown and deposited his phone back into his pocket. “He doesn’t know if he still has it. He’s too busy to look or talk.”

“Busy? What’s a Grim Reaper got to do that keeps him this busy?”

“Paperwork.”

“Paperwork?” he scoffed. “What does a Grim Reaper need to do paperwork for?”

“Do I look like a Grim Reaper?”

A slight grin etched it’s way onto Sebastian’s lips. “You kinda do, yeah.”

Joseph felt his won lips twitch up into a grin to match Sebastian’s own. “I don’t act like him.”

“Most them time, no.” he ruffled Joseph’s hair. “But we’re still on the clock, partner.”

“Yeah…right.” he muttered, fixing his hair but Joseph was happy. That was the closest smile he’d gotten out of Sebastian in a long time.

“And hey. Maybe you could come over for a few drinks tonight.”

Really?”

“Yeah. We…” his face fell again. “We haven’t talked much since then.”

“No, we haven’t.” he nodded.

“Then come over and we’ll bullshit like we used to.”

“Alright.” he offered a small smile. “But let’s focus on this case right now.”

“Good idea. Alright, so either there are two daggers or someone stole the only one from Will.”

“I’m betting it was stolen. Like you said, two types of daggers like that would probably be very rare.”

“Then let’s talk to the neighbours and see which one reported the body.”

However what they ended up finding was neither neighbour had even known about the murder. Both gave reactions that were clearly hard to fake and after a thorough search of both homes, they hadn’t found the dagger. “That was a bust.” Sebastian said as they exited the house. “We’ve checked the neighbours but found nothing.”

Joseph shifted his glasses up the bridge of his nose, thinking hard about it but couldn’t come up with any answer. “I think our best option right now is to return to the station and look things over again - see who knew the victim.”

“Our only choice right now.”

The man watched them from above, hidden as he did not wish to be seen by mortals. He grinned to himself, twirling the Crying Razor around his fingers before gripping tightly to the hilt. The blood was of no use to him, simply given to hungry demons desperate enough to do anything for a meal. It would certainly keep William and his mortal friends off their back for quite a while longer. He wasn’t eager to reveal himself to his once student; he quite enjoyed toying around with the three of them. He only had to wait a bit longer before his dolls would be ready. Just a little bit longer indeed.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

 The work day had ended; the Chief demanding they figure things out before another death occurred, only him and Sebastian knowing that wasn’t likely to happen. They couldn’t find anyone that would fit the M.O as they checked nearly every one who knew the victim, the only ones unable to be questioned were out of the country. Things were making no sense and they knew telling their boss that they were waiting for the help of a Grim Reaper would make things worse for them. They had already been considered a bit crazy for what they said they saw in Beacon, they didn’t need to be actually admitted to an asylum.

Thankfully, there was always wine to ease the nerves of a stressful work day. Well, for Joseph there was. Sebastian chose a can of nice cold beer. “I knew the Chief could be pissy at times but this is fuckin’ ridiculous.” Sebastian grunted. “We come back after missin’ for a month and this is how we’re treated.”

“Well, to be fair Seb. What we did tell him, anyone would thing we’re insane.”

“He’s still an ass.”

Joseph pat his knee while taking a sip of his wine. “Let’s not talk about work anymore, alright? It’s done for the day.”

“Then…what else do you want to talk about?”

“Anything.”

“Okay.” he took Joseph’s hand on his knee into his own. “How you’ve been holding up?”

Joseph squeezed his hand in return. “You mean since, then, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine, I guess. I still have a few nightmares here and there but, I was feeling better until meeting William. Now we’re caught back up in something we probably shouldn’t be.”

Sebastian reclined back into the couch cushions, letting Joseph’s hand go to sling his arm around Joseph’s shoulders. “Somehow, we always get into situations we shouldn’t be in.” a swig from his beer. “Like that hell. STEM right?”

“Yeah, STEM.”

“We weren’t meant to be there either. Just got caught up in it.” he gave Joseph a side glance. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Joseph turned to him. “I’m glad you’re not dead either.”

Sebastian shook his head, leaning forward to place his half empty beer can on the table. “No, Joseph. Look. I’m more then glad you’re alive. I’m fuckin’ ecstatic you’re still here.” he rested his forearms on his knees, continuing to lean over. “I was so worried I’d lost you when I came outta the hospital alone.”

“You were?”

“Course I was. I was still pissed at you for the A.I shit but I didn’t want you dying.”

Carefully, Joseph asked his next question. “Are you still pissed at me?”

Sebastian’s shrugged slack shoulders. “I don’t know. A little. You knew I was doing just fine handling things on my own. You didn’t need to get involved.”

“I kind of did.”

“How?”

“You were going to lose your job Seb. I did you a favour by reporting you.”

“They asked me shit which was none of their business. I was looking for Myra on my own time after the first warning from them Chief. That didn’t concern you or anyone.”

“Of course it concerned me.”

“How? She wasn’t your fucking wife and you didn’t lose your damned daughter.” he grit his teeth. “I lost my family, Joseph. I lost them while you still have yours, you still have everything. So tell me how in the hell does any of this concern you?”

A pang hit Joseph’s chest, turning his head away. “You’re my best friend. I didn’t want to see you hurt yourself more then you already had. The smoking was already affecting your lungs and I didn’t want to think about what the alcohol was doing to you. I was worried.”

“I’m fine. I’m a grown ass man that doesn’t need you worryin’ about me.”

“Age doesn’t matter.”

“Bullshit.”

Joseph said nothing, draining the rest of his wine. “I’m still going to worry about you.”

“Don’t waste your time.”

It became dead silent after that until Joseph decided it was best if he left. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” he said, standing and setting his wine glass beside the beer can.

“You’re going?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Well,” he began, facing Sebastian with a defeated look. “I can hardly talk to you without you getting defensive. I want things back to the way they were before any of this happened, before you married Myra. I want our friendship to just…be semi-normal again. Now, there’s been this constant strain. In STEM, that strain was gone because we relied on each other but now that it’s over, you’ve put everything back on your shoulders. Sebastian, I want to be here to support you, I _am_ here to support you. You don’t need to carry _everything_ alone.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “This is just how I deal with things. You should know that, we’ve known each other long enough.”

“But you _shouldn’t_ need to. I want to help you like a friend does. Reporting you to A.I was the only way for me to look out for you, so you didn’t lose your damned job.”

Sebastian shoved himself to his feet. “I wasn’t going to, hell, my drinking was never a problem until you brought it up. I was just fine until you shoved your nose into my business. You didn’t help anything, Joseph. You made things worse.” Another pang made itself known in Joseph’s chest, this one stinging a lot more and he just left without another word before he said or did anything he’d regret later. If anything, he felt like just curling up and forgetting this night happened. As much as he thought he was helping Sebastian, it seemed he only did make things worse.

He couldn’t carry his emotions completely back to his place so he stopped in an alley to just breathe and let everything out. He didn’t bother trying to keep himself composed as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. “I hadn’t expected to see you cry, Oda. What’s made you so upset?”

He hadn’t thought he’d be caught and he quickly wiped at his eyes though William had already seen the tears. “Human drama.”

“Drama is drama. What has you so bothered?”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I thought I was helping someone but it turns out all I did was make things worse.”

“By someone I assume you mean Castellanos?”

“…yes.”

William crossed his arms. “Care to elaborate.” Joseph slid down the wall to rest on the cold ground, explaining to William as William took a seat next to him, his eyes again glowing faintly in the dim alleyway. “I see.” he spoke once Joseph had finished. “How worrisome if he does not see the problems that will arise from such things.”

Joseph let out a shaky breath. “He doesn’t care. He stopped caring when he lost his family.” he debated with himself a moment before resting his head on William’s shoulder. “You should have seen him in his younger days. He was happy, he was smiling…he didn't need alcohol to keep him alive.”

William tried his best to not tense when Joseph rested his head on him and instead try to give Joseph the comfort he knew the younger man sought by slipping an arm around him and rubbing his shoulder. “I’m sure, in time, thing’s will get better.”

“He’s had time and nothing’s changed.” he closed his eyes. “I hate him sometimes but…I can’t stop wanting to be there for him.”

“I’m sure it’s your wish to be with him as a true partner then simply friends.”

“…maybe.”

William said nothing else and they sat in silence; William offering the comfort Joseph seemed to need.


	6. Chapter 6

There was one thing Eric knew if William saw, the man would have a heart attack and lecture him about caring for other people’s belongings. At first, William would have appreciated his effort to keep the office as clean and as organized as William did himself. Dirt, dust and crooked objects were non-existent in this room. It took a bit of adjusting, but despite Eric’s roguish appearance and nature, he was a rather organized man himself, especially when it came to his liquor cabinet at home; everything organized by name and bottle so he could sympathize with the reaction he knew William would have if he saw his office now.

Papers and books strewn about the floor in an effort to have everything easily out in front of him. Some open, others that turned out to be useless tossed into the growing pile of pointlessness. Folders had their papers spread in a fan like fashion over the white covers and Eric sat in the center of this mess with his legs crossed and a new book in his lap. As much as he liked organization as well, this was going to help him much faster then going through everything bit by bit to keep the office clean.

His eyes scanned every word in each book, this one no different as it ended up in the pile. Ever since William had called for an answer to the erased memories, Eric’s mind was continuing to think of an answer. The only thing he’d come across that was even remotely helpful was the documented report of something similar that William had saw but nothing else. Just a right off as a rookie mistake.

Clicking his tongue, he tossed another book onto the pile and reached for a file this time, careful to make sure the papers didn’t spill out of it. As much as he was eager to find more info on this, he didn’t want to be bothered trying to reorganize papers back into their original files. “Wow Eric. I haven’t seen you this crowded by papers and books since you helped me as a student in the academy.”

Eric glanced over the rim of his glasses, giving a quick salute to Alan before returning his eyes to the papers before him.”Ye were a smart lad, jus’ a bit disorganized.”

“Like this?”

“Aye.” he grinned, closing up the file. “Sae, wha’ can I do ye fer?”

“I was just coming by to see you.” Alan replied, stepping in to crouch in front of Eric. “And I’m glad I did. What are you doing?”

“‘m still goin’ nuts trying to find more information on the memories.”

“Nothing so far?”

“No.” he reached out to pull Alan into his arms, cradling the smaller reaper close to his chest. “An’ this is pissin’ me off.”

Alan couldn’t help the look of worry that etched its way onto his face. “Don’t work yourself too hard, alright?” he pleaded, running fingers through Eric’s loose blonde hair. “I’d hate to see you wear yourself out.”

Eric took Alan’s hand, nuzzling it against his cheek. “Dun worry about me love. I won’t.” he turned his head to kiss the gloved palm of Alan’s hand. “An’ ye promise me ye won’t wear yourself out.”

Alan nodded, leaning up for a quick peck. “I promise.” he wrapped his arms around Eric’s neck. “Still. You’re doing William’s job and this is adding more stress on top of that. I don’t want you overdoing it.”

“I won’t. I give ye me word.” he laid a light kiss to Alan’s forehead. “Bu’ I do wanna get back tae lookin’, sae-”

Alan held a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Hang on. You are not going back to work when it’s lunch.”

“Huh?”

“It’s lunch.” he used the same finger to point to the clock; 12:17.

Eric followed Alan’s hand, surprised how fast time had gone. “Damn. Dinnae realize it was tha’ late already.”

At that, Alan’s frown deepened. “You haven’t been working like this since you clocked in, have you?”

Eric sighed. “Aye, kinda.”

Alan wiggled himself out of Eric’s grasp and stood up, holding out his hands for the older reaper. “Then we’re going to go and enjoy lunch. Besides, I’m sure a break will do you good.”

Eric smirked, taking Alan’s hands and hoisting himself up while simultaneously yanking Alan into him so he could wrap his arms around Alan’s back. “Suppose I can take a break if it’s lunch with me love.” he kissed Alan’s nose. “Ye know wha’ they’re servin’?”

“Scottish.” Alan replied, looking up at the taller reaper.

“Really?”

“Yes and I know you wouldn’t miss a chance to indulge in your highland food.”

“Aye, I wouldnae.” with another peck, he released Alan and they walked side by side toward the cafeteria. Trays of food were grabbed and they easily found Grell and Ronald sat closest the windows.

“Well finally!” Grell huffed. “I was wondering when the two love birds would join us. Or was little Alan a quick appetizer?” he winked flirtatiously at Eric as the two sat down.

While Eric grinned, entertaining the idea, Alan’s cheeks turned a bright pink. “Of course not.” he muttered.

Eric snickered, turning his head to pepper kisses over Alan’s cheek and jaw before he was shoved back, Alan’s face going redder. “Wha’?” he purred, running hands up Alan’s sides. “We could be a little adventurous.”

“Eric!” he squeaked, trying to protest then used his fork as a threat. “Shush and no touching.”

As much as he loved to tease his love, he removed his hands and opted for a sweet kiss before turning toward his meal. “Love ye.”

“I love you too.” he muttered as Grell laughed.

Eric was about to enjoy his lunch, satisfied with Alan’s blush but was again distracted by unenthused picking of the food across from him. “Wha’s botherin’ ye Ron? I haven’t seen ye down like this in years.”

Ronald sighed, flicking over a piece of meat. “Nothin’.”

Rolling his eyes, Grell answered for him, “Little Lady Killer Knox was rejected today.”

Eric blinked. “Wha’? Ye were rejected Knoxie?” he nodded. “Why?”

“She said she wasn't interested in ‘young boyish guys’ like me.” he used his fork to point at Eric. “She said she likes your type.”

“To bad his type is already taken.” Grell purred with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Alan sat up a little straighter, proud he was the one to have taken Eric off the market. “And he won’t be single for quite some time.” he said, slipping his free hand under the table to fondly squeeze Eric’s knee.

“Aye, I won’t be, but ‘m no’ complainin’.” he leant over for an innocent kiss to Alan’s crown whilst placing his hand over Alan’s. “An’ cheer up Ron! There are other lasses tae charm an’ ye were bound tae get rejected sooner ‘r later. Yer lucky streak was goin’ on fer longer then I thought it would.”

Ronald offered a half smile. “Yeah, guess so.” he stabbed a piece of pork. “So, any news from senpai?”

“Yes, has Will called?” Grell inquired as well.

“The last time we spoke was when I called ‘im. Otherwise, ‘e ‘asn’t called.”

“I hope he’s alright.”

“I’m sure he is.” Alan assured. “If anything happened to him, not only would we be notified, he’d be brought home for us to take care of him. None of that has happened thus I’m sure William is fine. He even said he hadn’t ran into any demons…well, he said that when he first arrived. Perhaps that’s changed.”

“Hopefully! It’d be terribly boring without those unpredictable bastards.” Grell muttered, twirling a strand of red locks around his finger. “Though it does make me miss by dear Sebas-chan.”

“Let him go Grell.” Ronald said. “He’s been gone for _ages_ now.”

“I still miss him!” he tugged Ronald into an unwanted hold, stroking his blonde-black feathered locks fondly. “You’d miss the person you chased around if they just disappeared on you.”

“Uh huh.” he tried a few times to yank himself from Grell’s embrace, straining his suit jacket when he was freed.

“Anyway, I just worry about Will being overseas.” Grell whined, bringing the conversation back on topic. “I like him here where I can see he’s okay.” he breathed out. “I do hope things are going well.”

“Other then the erased memories, aye, thin’s are.” Eric said.

“Oh yeah!” Ronald perked up. “What about the erased memories? Did you find anything new about ‘em?”

“No’ sae far an’ that’s pissin’ me off.” he leaned forward, resting one elbow on the table to support his chin. “From wha’ I found, it was just one occurrence. They forgot everythin’ ‘fore they died.”

“Wow, so someone actually erased the memories before they died? Like, made ‘em forget everything?”

“Yep.” he gently nudged Alan’s side. “‘E’s already suggested the Undertaker.”

“You think dear?”

Alan nodded, covering his mouth as he swallowed. “I do. I mean, he’s powerful enough to do something like this and he’s tampered with Cinematic Records in the past and I know it’s a bit of a stretch, him being in America the same time as William-senpai, but it’s the only reasonable answer that I can think of.”

“What if it is the Undertaker?” Ronald asked. “What’ll we do? I mean, he’s way stronger then any of us.”

Eric thought about it, drumming his fingers on the table, a slow frown forming. “Tha’s a good question Ronnie boy.” he hummed. “We’d need to get a head o’ ‘im somehow…got no fuckin’ clue how tae do tha’ though.”

Alan rubbed Eric’s back in soothing circles. “And if it isn’t the Undertaker, then we’re in even more trouble, but I must ask. Why did whoever erase the memories? What were we not meant to see?”

“Probably something scandalous like a love between demon and reaper.” Grell suggested, hugging himself.

“Or maybe they saw reaper secrets.” Ronald added.

“Whatever it is, as long as the Undertaker doesn’t give us overtime like he did before, I’m happy.” Grell complained however remembered William often had overtime. “Well, if it’s overtime with Will, I wouldn’t mind then.”

Ronald shook his head. “Yeah, no. I don’t want overtime for anything. When we had to clean up Undertaker’s mess, it took _forever_ to finish. I’m still gettin’ over all the parties and dates I missed.”

“At least it was paid.” Eric reminded after a bite from his lunch. “We coulda been skimped on that.”

“…true.” he ate a bit from his tray. “What’s this called anyway?”

“Braised Pork Cheek with Hand-dived Scallops, Marmite-buttered Cabbage and Green Apple Sauce.” Alan answered.

Eric chuckled. “Aye, wha’ Alan said.” he slipped his arm around Alan’s waist, pulling him closer.

“Huh, ’s good.”

“Yes it is.” Grell agreed. “Anyhow, do you have any ideas floating around in the handsome head of yours Eric dear?”

“Abou’ the souls?”

“Of course.”

“No’ at the moment. ‘m goin’ through all the files an’ reports in Spears’s office tae see if there’s another case o’ this happenin’ with more detail bu’ ‘m comin’ up empty handed.” he rubbed a hand over his forehead. “The documented case dinnae ‘ave much in it either, jus’ whoever collected the soul wrote it off as a rookie mistake.”

“They didn’t mention demon?”

“No.”

They continued to discuss the souls though lunch and parted when they were expected back at work when the hour was up, though Alan remained a tad reluctant to let Eric go. “Please take it easy.” he insisted, holding Eric’s hands.

“I will love. Dun worry about me.”

Alan kissed him, gave him another plead to relax before leaving to do his own paperwork. Eric entered William’s office and sat back in the center of the papers and books that had been untouched during his absence. Once he picked up the next book, his mind was focused; not even noticing the sky that changed from midday to dusk then dark. Still, no matter how hard he looked, he found nothing and ended up becoming frustrated and antsy; deciding to pace the office while he read.

That turned out to be an awful idea as he was too focused in his book to notice the door opening until he collided with it. The book dropped from his hands as they came up to cover over his nose, a low groan of pain rumbling from his throat. “Eric!” Alan said, guilt on his face when he shut the door. “Oh, Eric, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you! Is it bleeding? Let me look.”

Though his nose throbbed in pain, he couldn’t help the smile at Alan’s fretting. “Nah, think it’s fine.” he said in a nasally voice as he pinched his nose.

“That doesn’t look fine! Please, let me see.” Knowing Alan would insist until he did, he removed his hands, letting them fall to his side, watching Alan frown as he felt liquid stream out of his right nostril. “Yes it is.” he noted, removing a handkerchief from his pocket to place at Eric’s nose to catch the blood. “I’m so sorry.”

“Dinnae mean too.” he ruffled Alan’s hair. “’s fine.”

“Still.”

He chuckled, gently pushing Alan’s hand away. “It’ll quit soon.”

Alan was obviously reluctant, having to stop his hand from reaching up to continue and catch the blood but Eric was right. A bleeding nose for a reaper was nothing; it even began to clear up as he watched. “I’m still very sorry.” he said, tossing the cloth away in the bin next to William’s desk.

“It’s. Fine.” he kissed Alan’s cheek. “Ye dinnae do it on purpose. Unless ye did tae get back at me fer lunch, then shame on ye.”

Alan’s laugh was poorly concealed. “Maybe.” he snickered playfully but soon a genuine look of guilt replaced it. “I truly didn’t.” he placed a featherlight kiss to Eric’s nose as another apology.

“Yer sweet love.” he set his hands on Alan’s hips, gently swaying with him. “Sae, wha’ do ye need?”

Alan blinked up at him. “Eric, it’s the end of the day. I already clocked out and was waiting for you in the lobby. When you never showed, I came looking for you. Will you not come home today?”

Eric finally saw the sky from William’s office window and another groan found its way out of his mouth as he placed his head in his hand. “Shite Alan. ‘m sorry love. I dinnae mean tae lose track o’ time again, ’s jus’,” he began, walking from Alan back to his circle, “this is gonna be naggin’ at me until I find somethin’. I know there’s somethin’ more tae these erased memories but cannae, fer the life o’ me, find tha’ somethin’.”

Alan approached Eric, hugging him from behind, pressing gently on his chest. “Then why don’t you come home and have a fresh start tomorrow? I’m sure that’ll help.”

Eric placed his hands on Alan’s, gripping them gently. “Maybe.”

“I’m right, now, come on Eric.” he tried tugging Eric toward the door but found the blonde was still reluctant. “Eric,” he whined, “Please. You know how much I hate sleeping alone.”

That got Eric’s attention as he spun around to scoop Alan into his arms, satisfied by Alan’s surprised squeak. “I’d ne’er ask ye tae sleep alone.” he gently rocked Alan in his arms with a grin. “Yer teddy bear’s always gonna be there fer ye tae cuddle.”

“Good.” Alan laughed, arms hooked around Eric’s neck but as Eric put him back on the ground to take his hand instead, something caught Alan’s attention. “Wait.” he bent down to pick up the folder Eric had dropped and oddly enough, inside the folder was a smaller folder. “Strange.”

Eric stood behind Alan, lazily draping his arms over Alan’s shoulders. “Tha’ is strange. Spears wouldnae ‘ave a file inside a file unless ‘e ‘ad it tabbed.”

Upon Alan opening the smaller folder, the two of them were surprised to have a Cinematic Record come reeling out but unlike all the records they’d seen, this one was entirely blank. “Is this…what William saw?” Alan asked in awe.

“Must be.” Eric answered, astonished as well. With this being so new, neither new what action to take. “I dun think Spears knew this record existed.” he added after a few moments.

“No, I don’t think he did.” he his placed his hand over Eric’s. “This is rather amazing though.”

“Aye, but I dun see anything wrong with it other then the obvious. Looks completely untouched.”

“…like the memories were wiped before the death. Eric, this is probably the first cinematic with this strange blank record.”

“Shite.” he cursed, backing up. “Who the hell kept it then?”

“The only reaper who worked in this office before William was the Undertaker.”

“But… ‘e wasnnae a rogue reaper then. ‘e was highly respected saw why did ‘e make whoever this is ferget everythin’? If ‘e even did this.”

“That’s…a very good question.” he closed up the folder and looked it over. “The record’s also not in the traditional memory book.”

“Bet they did tha’ tae keep it under wraps.” he turned his attention to the phone on William’s desk. “Ye think Spears would know _somethin_ ’?”

“Maybe.” Alan set the folder on William’s desk.

“Ye think ‘e’d be up by now?”

“I’m sure, knowing William.”

Eric picked up the phone and easily recalled William’s number. After a few rings longer then William would allow, someone finally picked up. _“…hello?”_

Eric’s brow furrowed and he gave Alan a confused glance when the voice that came through wasn’t William’s. “‘ello. Who’s this?”

They sounded hesitant as they answered, _“Joseph Oda.”_

“Righ’. Is Spears ‘round?”

Silence then another hesitated reply, _“Not…right now.”_

“Wha’? Where is ‘e? Why the fuck did ye pick up anyway?”

_“He’s just resting right now and who are you?”_

“A friend. Now tell me wha’ the hell is wrong with ‘im.”

_“You’re a reaper too?”_

“Wha’ the fuck do ye think?”

“Eric.” Alan scolded, taking the phone from the taller reaper. “Let me talk to them.” he cleared his throat. “Hello, my name is Alan Humphries. I apologize for Eric’s outburst but from the sounds of it, something is wrong with Mr. Spears?”

_“Thank you for being more sociable and,well, not wrong exactly. He’s resting.”_

“What happened?”

_“Demon I think. I’m not really sure.”_ there was a sigh. _“I’m still new to this world.”_

“If William’s resting then I’m sure it was a demon. Is he alright otherwise?”

_“Yeah. He said he just needed to rest for the night and he’d be alright in the morning.”_

“I’m pleased to hear that then. Thank you sir and please, when William wakes up, get him to call us back.”

_“Alright.”_

“Goodbye.”

_“Bye.”_

Alan hung up with a relieved sigh. “You’d get further if you didn’t start demanding things.”

“Aye but the ass made it sound like Spears was hurt real bad.”

“He’s a new reaper Eric and I’m sure this is all very confusing for him.” he gently ran his hand up and down Eric’s arm. “Did he say his name?”

“Joseph Oda.”

“Then tomorrow, we’ll look into his file. Does that sound alright?”

“Aye but ye do realize Spears was attacked, righ’?”

“Yes but another reaper was there to help him.”

Eric shoved his hands into his pockets. “Aye, I guess.”

Alan took his shoulders to bend him down enough for them to kiss. “Come love. Let’s go home and William will call us when he wakes. Then we can get answers.”

Eric nodded, removing his hands from his pockets to squeeze Alan’s biceps then followed his lover out of the office then the building as they headed toward their shared flat. Even if they were no longer in the offices, Eric’s mind was stuck on the memories and now this new reaper, Joseph Oda. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep much tonight, even if this was one of the few nights he was forced to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this does deal with the more suicide topic of the tags during the first half. Just another small warning in case that's a sensitive topic.

Never in Joseph’s life did he ever think that considering not breathing and no heart beat would be normal, but as he watched death sleep, it was just that. Well, as normal as this could be anyway. Nothing seemed to wake William as he lay passed out on Joseph’s couch, still as the, well, dead. Not even the ringing of his phone woke him when it startled Joseph who was busy remembering why William needed the rest.

They were still in the alleyway, silently sitting together, William’s presence comforting to Joseph. Though he’d only really just met William, it was nice to know there was a least someone, other then Sebastian, who wouldn’t deem him crazy if he mentioned things like STEM. Hell, he was almost content enough to just fall asleep right there when William tensed.

Before Joseph could ask what had him so suddenly bothered, William was on his feet, scythe summoned seconds later. He had ordered Joseph to his feet, the detective following the reaper’s demand just as a demon jumped from the roof across from them, landing silently in front of William. While anger was pure on William’s face, the demon looked smug. They exchanged heated words, Joseph noting the tight grip William had on his scythe before he attacked. This demon looked far more powerful then the demon he and Sebastian had seen before; turns out he was as William was having trouble keeping the beast back, even ending up slammed into the wall of the other side of the alley.

Joseph felt helpless, not having anything to help William though anger grew as the demon began to win. William’s energy was petering out, the demon taking full advantage of it; grabbing William’s scythe to shove him to the ground, the pavement cracking under the force causing Joseph to wince. His scythe was yanked then tossed away, before the demon used its sharp claws to tear through William’s suit; leaving long, deep gashes in his torso.

When the demon reached for the scythe to end William for good, Joseph balled his hands and tackled the demon, his protective instincts kicking in mixed with the anger he felt. The demon was even stronger for a mortal like him but somehow, he was able to overpower the creature with only three claw marks in his forearm to show for the battle.

He kept the creature pinned the best he could, swiftly taking the scythe then using the pinchers to pierce through the demons skull. Like the demon William had killed before, the creature disintegrated, the ashes the only remains.

He blinked, realizing what he done and feeling proud he took on a being like this in the real world before he remembered William and swiftly went to his aid. He was having trouble pushing himself up, the best he’d gotten was to his hands and knees, blood pooling underneath him where it dripped from his wounds. “Here.” Joseph said, handing William his scythe then grasping his wrist and elbow, helping ease him to his feet. “I don’t know much about demos but those look painful.”

“Nng, very much so.” William grunted, needing Joseph to lean on; any movement feeling like it pulled the wounds open more. He remained hunched over with Joseph and his scythe the only things keeping him stable.

“How do we take care of these?”

“Take me home.”

Joseph tightened his grip around William’s wrist. “You’re coming with me instead. It’s closer.” William had no strength to argue thus they began making their way to Joseph’s home though Joseph did notice the odd lack of concern from everyone they passed. Perhaps it was because he was helping an injured Grim Reaper or everyone was just that uncaring.

“Thank you…Oda.” William said, his voice weak. “I…I am grateful you’re deciding to hep me.”

“Was I suppose to leave you to bleed out?”

“I know…a few who would do so.”

“Well, I’m not that kind of man.” he carefully shifted William’s arm that he had slung across his shoulders; thankful that closer meant quicker. They arrived at Joseph’s quicker then William thought they would. “Relax here.” Joseph said, helping William sit down on the couch. “I’ll grab the med kit.” William held back any sign of pain even when Joseph was out of sight. “Okay, here we go.” Joseph announced his return. “Now what do I do?”

“L-Let me take of these myself.”

“No.”

“Oda. Please. Allow me to do so. I-”

“Will sit there and let me help you.”

William had meant to glare but just even the slight shift made him wince. “Fine.” he gasped, clutching at the couch cushion. “J-Just everything in there s-should do the trick.”

Nodding, Joseph opened the medical kit. He removed gauze and disinfectant then helped William out of his upper clothing. He could tell it hurt the reaper to move anything but the clothing needed to go. “Hang on. I need a cloth.” he said, seeing the blood staining William’s pale skin; which looked even paler if that was possible.

He returned under a minute, kneeling in front of William and finally seeing the claw marks in their full glory. They were deeper then he thought they were, longer as well he noted as he carefully began wiping the blood away; they reached from the top right of his clavicle diagonally down to his left hip. He quickly brought his attention back to the med kit and used the provided cotton balls to pour the disinfectant onto them. “This’ll sting.” he warned. He saw William prepare himself before the cotton balls was applied, a hiss escaping the normally stoic man. “I’m sorry.” he said, trying to be as gentle as possible when wiping around the angry red wounds.

“I-It’s expected.”

Not soon enough in William’s opinion did Joseph finish with the disinfectant before grabbing the gauze. “Alright, I know this is tough, but hold your arms up or out so I can wrap this around you.” it pained William to do so, but he complied, lifting out his arms the best he could. Joseph nodded his thank you as he wrapped the bandages around William’s torso, noting the large black and blue spot on his back, the bruise from being slammed into the wall then the ground. “Is that all?” Joseph asked when he was through wrapping the bandages.

“Yes. M-My reaper body will slowly heal these. All I need now is to rest.” he replied, Joseph helping him to lay down.

“Then rest. I’ll be here if you need anything.” William said nothing else. Once his eyes closed, his body stilled.

It was strange to see a body have no movement, nothing to indicate this man had just been walking and talking a few seconds ago. It was just so strange to see but once William’s cell rang, he was jolted from his thoughts; which reminded him of his own wounds that oddly didn’t even sting, nor did they bleed like William’s had; it didn’t make it any less painful to wrap gauze around them however.

Still, a second demon encounter. He never thought he’d have one let alone two and why was this demon stronger then the first? Could it be due to the weapon? the Crying Razor? It must and he knew that could only mean more murders until the dagger was found.

Time past, Joseph unaware how long he had actually sat and watched William, checking his wounds very now and then to be sure they were healing as William said they would and to his surprise, they were. They had closed up well and he was sure by the same time today? tomorrow? they’d be just pink mars in his skin.

Again, he was jolted from thoughts when the doorbell rang followed by a harsh knock. Though reluctant, he left William’s side to answer the door, finding Sebastian standing there dark circles under his eyes and a quick glance over his shoulder showed him the sun just peaking out from behind rooftops. Had he stayed up the entire night? “Se-”

“I’m sorry.”

Joseph downturned his eyes. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.” he took Joseph’s shoulders. “I didn’t mean what I said. You…didn’t make things worse. You were there, trying to help me and I was an ass to ya.” he licked dry lips. “You’re right about our friendship. It’s ben strained for too long so maybe we can change that. Try to fix things.”

Joseph nearly felt tears in his eyes but nodded with a small smile. “I’d that.”

“Then, let’s forget everything I said last night. I was still pissed at the Chief and I took that anger out on you.”

“It’s fine Seb.” Joseph’s smile grew. “Really. We can start over and try to push past everything.”

Sebastian nodded, liking the idea and wanted to voice so when he saw Joseph’s arm. “The fuck happened to you?”

Joseph looked at his arm, momentarily forgetting the injury. “We had another run in with a demon.”

“We?”

“William and me.”

“Will’s here?”

“He’s resting, yes.” he gave the explanation as he lead Sebastian inside and to the living room. “See? He’s dead asleep. The phone and not even the doorbell or your knocking woke him.”

Sebastian arched an eyebrow, leaning over William’s motionless form. “This is just weird.” he said, scanning William head to toe.

“What?”

“He looks so much like you. It’s almost uncanny.”

“Really? I mean, we look alike, but that much?”

“Yeah. I bet if we switched the glasses around it’d be weirder.”

Joseph rolled his eyes. “You’re not touching his glasses.”

“I wasn’t going to, I was just saying.” he turned back to Joseph. “Well, did he figure out if he had the dagger still?”

“The demon came before I could ask, but,”he did pick up William’s phone he had dig out from William’s blazer pocket when it rang the first time, “I did talk to other reapers.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. The first one had a really thick accent and the second one was a lot more polite. They wanted to talk to William and asked for him to call them back when he wakes up.”

“Did you get any names?”

“One. Alan Humphries was the second one I talked to and I think he said the others name was Eric.”

“Alan huh?”

“That’s what he said.”

Sebastian scratched his chin. “You think you could look up that name and see what comes up.”

“I guess we can try.” he thought a moment before using William’s phone for the search, oddly coming up with very specific details about the reaper, even showing them a black and white photo of Alan when he just graduated from the academy. “He’s, ah, a nice looking young man.”

“Yeah…he is.” Sebastian agreed with a nod. “How old is he?”

“Ah…his ‘appearance age’ is twenty-five and his ‘reaper age’ is…wow, is two hundred and ninety-three.”

“Shit.” Sebastian glanced over at William. “He’s still younger then Will over there.”

“Mm hm. He was born in the fifteen hundreds and…oh. The cause of death was suicide by medical pill overdose.”

Sebastian winced. “Damn, only twenty-five too.” then he remembered something. “Didn’t Will mention an Eric Slingby?”

“Yeah, he did.” he did as Sebastian had, glancing over at William. “We shouldn’t be using his phone.”

“Fuck it, he won’t know.”

Sebastian did have a point. “Fine.” another quick tap of his fingers and Eric’s profile came up, both amazed at the look of him. “Fuck, he’s not someone I wanna run into in a dark alley.”

“Me either. He screams criminal almost. I wouldn’t trust him with my life let alone a reaping job.”

“I wouldn’t either but what else does it say about him?”

“Ah, he was a transfer from the Glasgow district. Okay, so he’s Scottish. Uh, again, his human age is thirty-six while his reaper age is six hundred and fifty-eight like William said…his cause of death was a self-inflected stab wound.”

“Another suicide?”

“Looks like it.”

Both glanced at William this time. “What do ya say we look up Will?”

A tempting idea that Joseph couldn’t pass up. Again, it was quick and soon enough William’s profile was before them. He looked just as he did now with very little difference, perhaps a tad less serious. “We know how old he is and I know a lot of this, he’s told me a lot. Hm…there’s nothing here that we don’t know…except, oh. His cause of death.”

“Another suicide?”

“Yes. He jumped from a roof.”

“What the hell is it with reapers and killing themselves?”

“We become reapers because it’s a cruel joke.”

They froze where they stood, afraid they’d been caught and William would have his scythe at them but instead, William had sat up, brushing back his bangs that had fallen out of place. “…you pissed we looked at your phone?” Sebastian asked, cautiously as he and Joseph turned around.

“No. I have nothing to hide.” but he did hold out his hand. “May I have it back though?” Joseph placed the item in William’s outstretched palm. “Thank you.”

“How are you feeling?” Joseph asked, placing himself on the cushion next to William. “Sore but far better then I had.” he eyed Joseph’s arm. “Yourself?”

“No pain at all.”

“I’m pleased to hear it.” he then turned his attention to Sebastian. “Why have you come here?”

“None of your business.” Sebastian snapped.

“It was merely a question.” he muttered, adjusting his glasses.

“Anyway, what do you mean ‘a cruel joke’?” Joseph asked.

William looked hesitant to answer, his fingers twitching in his lap before he folded them together. “To become a reaper, you must kill yourself with the intent of dying, not accidental as you had Oda. They make us Grim Reapers, Shinigami, Death Gods, whatever you prefer, because we did not value the life we had. This is our punishment, reaping the souls of the murdered, the sick, the old or the unlucky, the ones who beg to live just another day to show we were wasteful, to show we were lucky to have solid ground under our feet. To show we gave up something we only had one chance at.”

Sebastian shifted on his feet as Joseph remained silent before asking, “did it hurt?”

“I presume you mean when I jumped?”

“Yes.”

“To be honest, I cannot recall. Once I hit the ground, everything went back then I woke up with men in suits looking down at me moments later.”

“Were you scared?”

“Yes and no. I was terrified at the thought of having to work for eternity, to live with everything I had wanted to get away from but the idea of immortally intrigued me. Of course, that was before I was told we had to fight off demons and the like.” he unclasped his hands to rub at his temple. “And before I realized it, I was the one always sent to clean up associates messes, especially when Sutcliffe decided to play Jack the Ripper.”

“You knew Jack the Ripper?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes and I still do.” he leant back into the couch. “He and his madam went around killing prostitutes due to the madam’s anger of being unable to have children of her own and things spiralled from there.”

“Sounds…exciting.”

“Troublesome.” William corrected.

Sebastian crossed his arms. “So you knew Jack the Ripper and never did anything about it?”

“Oh, I did. Sutcliffe’s unauthorized modified scythe was renounced and he was put on overtime plus probation for quite some time after his killing’s of mortals.” again, he adjusted his glasses. “But I’m assuming you meant for the mortals in which case, no. We do not dwell in mortal affairs.”

“Bullshit. You’re ‘dwelling in mortal affairs’ right now by helping us.”

“Yes, but I also gain help from the two of you.” he finally pushed himself up, steading himself on his feet. “Where’s the rest of my suit Oda?” he asked, slipping his phone into his trouser pocket.

“Just there.” Joseph answered, gesturing to the lonely chair by a lonely lamp in the corner of the room.

William frowned as he picked up the white dress shirt, fingering the holes in it. At least he had a spare suit as this one was ruined; blood stained and torn. “Thank you for helping me.” he said again. “But I’ll be returning to my flat.”

“You’d better make sure that dagger’s still there. Remeber there was another murder?” Sebastian said.

“Yes, yes.” William crossed his arms, thinking. “I’m already going to guess the dagger was stolen from my flat and used to kill the victim you had called me about and the blood the dagger is receiving is being fed to the demons, hence why the demon that attacked us was stronger then one you had encountered before it.”

“Does that mean more demons like that are on the loose?”

“Perhaps.”

Sebastian rested his elbow on Joseph's shoulder. “Then we’d better get to the station. If we wanna get the killer, then you need to see the souls, right?”

“Yes.” he looked down at himself. “However, may I change first? I’d rather not go about the city dressed halfway like this.”

“Yeah. We’ll be waiting here.” William ported from their sight and Sebastian turned on Joseph. “You still trust him?”

“Yes.” Joseph said without hesitation. “I know the man we took in for the first murder changed demeanour, but it was that dagger that had him under its influence. William even said he didn’t want us touching it.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Still. There’s just something I don’t like about him.”

“I trust him and I think he trusts us more then we believe he does.

“You sure about that? He doesn’t look like the kind to trust anyone.”

“Well…he sort of has to trust us as we do him.”

“I don’t like that.” he looked away. “It’s hard to trust anymore, Joseph. Kidman ruined that for me when she fucked us over.”

Joseph nodded. “I know.” he said, reaching out to rest his hand on Sebastian’s bicep. “But I _know_ we an trust William. He won’t leave us like she did.”

Sebastian took a breath. “I’m not going to trust him but I will trust you.”

“If that’s all you can do, then do it.”

Sebastian squeezed Joseph’s hand then in the next moment, William ported back, dressed in his spare suit but a look of disgust was plain on his face. “Someone has stolen the dagger while making a mess of my flat.”

“Shit.” Sebastian cursed.

“My sentiments exactly.” 

“Then we’d better get to the station so we’re prepared for a new death. Unless you were to see the memories of the man we called you about.” Joseph said.

“His soul was collected before I had a chance to leave my office.”

Sebastian grabbed William’s arm. “Then let’s get going.”

Again, William was moved by force as Sebastian yanked him along outside toward the car where he was shoved, again, into the back seat. “I wish you would stop doing that.” he muttered, fixing the wrinkles in the jackets arm. Sebastian was able to ignore him as he entered the front seat, Joseph getting int he passengers side. William refrained from rolling his eyes and sat back, tested to summon his scythe but keen if he were to keep suspicion of him low, his scythe would need to stay out of sight.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

They arrived in good time and William followed the two detectives into the station. Used to blending in with society and the shadows, he was acutely aware of the eyes on him, all very curious of the new chracter that was hanging around the two detectives who had strange reputations since their ‘STEM’ business. It was unnerving and he found himself adjusting his glasses more then normal. “Castellanos, Oda…” the Chief halted in addressing them, eye locked with William’s. “Who’s this?”

“He’s our-” Joseph started.

“Informant.” Sebastian quickly responded. “He had ties to the victims and knows the sort of weapon that’s been used.”

“Really now? Hm. Well, your help is welcomed.” the Chief said, holding out his hand to William. “What’s your name?”

“William T. Spears.” he greeted with a shake of the Chief’s hand and polite bow of his head. “I do hope I am able to help find the disgraceful human.”

The Chief laughed. “You got him all the way from Britain? Impressive but how were you able to know the victims?”

“I arrived a few days ago and I have always brought…misfortune with me.”

“Well, hopefully with your help, this will go by easier.”

“Has there been another murder?” Joseph asked.

“Thankfully, not so far.”

But, the next second his words were contradicted as an officer charged up to them, telling them another murder had _just_ taken place. If they hurried, they could catch the guy. Though Joseph, Sebastian and William didn’t like the idea of a squad being sent out instead of just them, they couldn’t exactly tell the Chief their reasoning thus they went along with everyone, arriving at the scene as everyone else did. “Oda, Castellanos, head to the back. Your friend is going to have to wait here. We don’t need him interfering.” the Chief ordered.

There was obvious hesitation but William gave them a nod and a knowing look. William was a reaper, able to sneak in and out of places with ease thus they gave William a quick nod back and took to the back of the house. Guns at the ready, Sebastian gave the ‘three’ countdown with his finger before kicking open the door. A few steps inside and they were greeted with he body and the rest of the force. “Shit.” the Chief cursed. “We didn’t get here fast enough.”

“He could still be around.” Sebastian said. “Check the entire house for any signs of forced entry.”

Joseph took the search outside where he could speak with William. “You won’t be able to get in there and reap yet.” Joseph said as William dropped his folded arms to his side.

“I see.” he said. “But the demonic scent is strong from that thing.”

“The dagger?”

“Yes. It’s around here, close.” he looked around, Joseph watching him turn his head this way and that until landing on a being sipping out from the cellar. “Your killer.” William said. Joseph turned around, expecting to see a demon but the man looked just like that. A man. “Freeze.” he demanded, gun at the ready. The man paused, the dagger glinting in his hand, his eyes wide at being caught with a gun pointed at him. “Drop the weapon.” The man was still paralyzed, deciding what he should do before instincts kicked up and he ran, Joseph firing off a few shots, two hitting they target in the killers leg but adeline kept him going, only staggering just a bit. “Damn it.” William knew there was something wrong about this human and gave chase. He was faster then a human should be but William was a reaper and though the man had speed, William had that and agility, able to bound over obstacles the man had to waste time getting over.

Using a tree trunk, he launched off it to tackle the fleeing man to the ground, wrestling with him to give up the dagger, a cut being made through his glove and across his palm. He winced but eventually was able to get the dagger away from the man yet still kneeled over him, pinning him to the ground until someone arrived to pick him up which wasn’t long. “You got him.” it was Sebastian that knelt next to him. “Nice work.”

William removed himself from the man to allow Sebastian to do his job, grip on the dagger never lessening even as his hand bled. “Are you alright?” Joseph asked, having followed his partner.

“Yes.” he showed Joseph the dagger. “I am not letting this out of my sight.”

“Your hand.”

“It’ll heal.”

“So this is the real killer?” The Chief questioned as he and some of the officers followed Joseph.

Sebastian wasn’t sure how to answer it, so he said nothing. “What about the murder weapon?” William held his hands behind his back, being sure to place himself slightly behind Joseph. “We couldn’t find it.” Joseph said.

“Well, while we take him tot he station, you two look for the weapon.”

Sebastian handed off the man and when they were completely alone, both faced William who showed them the dagger, his blood that had dribbled onto the blade, being soaked up. “I will not let this out of my sight. Whoever ransacked my flat will have to pry this from my cold dead hands if they want it back.”

Sebastian smirked. “The only time that saying works.” he looked over William’s shoulder. “Now, let’s see what those memories have to say.”

Walking in tandem, they returned to the murder scene and William summoned his scythe and death list, dagger slipped away through a belt loop. He read over the name of the man before stabbing his scythe into the victims chest. As normal, the Cinematic Record came reeling out, not a surprise to William but Joseph’s eyes flew wide the instant he saw the record. He could see what William was seeing, the memories of the man, from the moment he was born to moments before he died. He could see it all. “W-William.”

“Hm?”

“I…I can see them. T-The memories.”

Sebastian and William gave him the same look and William thought about it a moment before focusing back on the memories. “I think it may be because you and a brush with death and though you are not a reaper, you are now able to see Cinematic Records due to me having not reaped your soul. It’s rare, _very_ rare this happens, but I’ve heard of it before though this is my first time every witnessing it.”

Sebastian nearly pouted at his. “Great. I’m outta the fucking loop on this.” he sighed. “Anyway, anything new?”

William hummed, coming up to the last memory. “No.” Joseph said. “Nothing.”

“He’s correct. It’s just like the others.” he collected the soul then faced the two. “I’d like to question the man who was taken in however he daggers influence on this man was far stronger the first and I know there will be no point in questioning him. We will not get any answers from him, unfortunately.”

“Fuck.” Sebastian shook his head. “Well, let’s get back to the station.” he looked at William. “I want you staying with Joseph.”

“Why?”

“They know where you live. It’d be safer for you and the dagger if you stayed where they shouldn’t know where you are.”

“I agree with Seb on this, William.”

William sighed, adjusting his glasses. “I suppose that would be best.” he bowed to them. “I shall see you after work then.” and once again, William ported away.


	8. Chapter 8

Roles had been switched around lately Alan found. Not only was Eric in William’s position as the temporary head of the department, meaning he didn’t have time to drink and slack off like he usually would but he was the one getting up early in the mornings while Alan remained curled up in bed. Normally, Alan would be up, dressed with a bit of breakfast and he’d have to be the one to try and pull Eric from bed, which, considering the hight and weight differences between them, was no easy task. Eric was deadweight when he wanted to be but this morning, Alan was the one to be woken up a bit earlier then he normally would be.

Just as the tips of the sun beams shone through the window, Eric was up and ready for the day within twenty minutes. At first, Eric debated waking Alan, his love curled so well in the blankets, hair a mess and the long sleeves of his nightshirt overlapping his hands. Though Alan didn’t like the word used on him, Eric could only think of cute when he saw Alan like this. “Lad.” Eric began, lowering himself to kiss Alan’s cheek. “’s mornin’.” Alan’s response was to roll away and bury his face into his pillow. “Alan, c’mon love. Ye gotta get up.”

“’s to early.” he muttered, pulling the blankets up higher.

“Come now. ’s no’ _tha’_ early.” he took the hem of the blanket and gently pulled it off Alan’s body. “We got work tae get tae.”

“Work?” Lazily, Alan rolled to his back, eyes finding the alarm clock and seeing they had another hour and a half before the work day started. “Love, we have time.” he opened his arms. “Come back to bed and rest with me for another hour.

Eric bent down, Alan hoping the Scotsman would join him but found himself being pulled up into Eric’s arms, his body removed from the warm bed. “Geh, Eric!” he whined. “I wanna go back to bed.”

“I know ye do love bu’ I dun think I can go back tae bed when ‘m already dressed fer work.” he nuzzled Alan’s cheek. “An’ I dun wanna be there all alone. Sae, would ye come with me tae keep me company?”

Eric knew he played on Alan’s conscious a bit too much but it always worked as it did now when Alan gave a groan. “Fine.” he sighed. “Put me down and I’ll get ready.” He did as requested with another kiss and made the bed while Alan readied himself for the day. “Alright, done.” Alan said after twenty minutes.

“Good.” he noted Alan was still sluggish and probably didn’t appreciate being tugged along again but he didn’t have a choice when Eric took his hand. “Thank ye fer comin’ with me love.”

“I don’t know why you need me too. You’re a grown man.” Alan yawned behind his hand. “But, you’re welcome anyway. Just, next time, don’t wake me. I need sleep to function.”

“I know, I won’t. Dun worry.”

“Good.”

They arrived at the offices, the building practically empty save a few reapers who were known to stalk the halls day in and out. After greeting the sparse reaper they passed, they entered the Administrative Department, greeting the womae that work there who came in early to finish a few papers. “What are we doing here?” Alan asked as they approached one of the computers. “I thought you wanted to get in early because of the erased memories.”

“Aye, I do, but I also wanna find out who tha’ Joseph Oda is. I mean, aren’t ye a bit curious.”

“Well, yes, I suppose.”

“I sure as hell am. ‘E ‘ad Spears’s phone.”

“Good point.”

Eric set himself at the first computer and typed in Joseph’s name. The search took awhile considering it was scanning through many names in the entire reaper database from all over the world but it eventually came up with nothing. “The hell?”

Alan’s brow furrowed, gently pushing Eric from the chair to take his place. As Eric stood over him, resting his hands on his shoulder, Alan changed the search to names of the reaped. To both their surprise, Joseph came up, however his name was X’d out. “He’s been saved.” Alan stated, perplexed. “He was saved from his accidental fall down the stairs, cause of death was head trauma and it looks like William wrote here, ‘I shall disclose personally to my superior as to why I have not reaped this soul but I will state here, Joseph Oda’s death has come about because I have had an influence in his life thus I will take responsibility for his death’.”

“Spears caused it? ‘ow?”

“I don’t know. That’s all William wrote.” he leant back in the chair, studying Joseph’s face.

“Spears dinnae reap? _Spears_ saved a soul? Wha’ the _fuck_ is Spears drinkin’ o’er there?’

“Well, hopefully when we get William’s call back, he’ll explain that to us as well as we can tell him what we found in his office.” he placed his hands on Eric’s that began massaging his shoulders. “Though, he does look a lot like William.”

“Aye, ’e does.” Eric agreed.

“Maybe they have similar ancestors.”

“I dun think sae. From Joseph’s bio, ‘e doesnnae ‘ave any English blood in ‘im. Jus’ Japanese an’ Canadian o’ all places.”

“True. Still, there are striking similarities. If Joseph did…become a reaper, I’m sure Grell would have a wonderful time.”

Eric shook his head. “After meetin’ Grell, ‘m sure tha’ll keep Oda from any thoughts like tha’.”

Alan stifled a full out laugh. “I-I suppose so.” he snickered.

Eric continued the massage on Alan’s shoulders. “Sae, we know who Oda is. No’ a reaper  at all, bu’, ‘e said ‘e was new tae all this. Did William actually introduce a human into our hell?”

“It sounds like he has. Again, unlike William.” he tilted his head back to meet Eric’s face. “Maybe he found a strong connection with Joseph through his memories.”

“Aye, maybe.” he kissed Alan’s nose. “An’ I know I said it already, bu’ thanks fer wakin’ up with me.”

“You’re welcome.” he stretched his arms back to entangle in Eric’s hair. “But like I said before, don’t wake me up this early.”

Eric chuckled, placing kisses over Alan’s forehead. “I won’t.”

“Good.”

“Sae, coffee?”

“Tea.”

“Righ’, righ’. Tea. C’mon love. I’ll make ye some Earl Grey an’ ye can relax ’til we gotta clock in.”

“Sounds lovely. The couch in the break room is calling my name.”

Eric waited for Alan to stand to take his hand, entwining their fingers. As Eric brought Alan’s hand up to kiss the back of it, the brunettes phone went off, startling them both. “Drat.” Alan frowned, eager for that tea but slipped out his phone, relieved to see it was William’s number. “You have no idea how worried we were, sir.”

_“I can assure you I am fine. Just a run in with a damned demon.”_

“We could guess and your friend, Joseph Oda, helped you, didn’t he?”

_“Yes, Oda did.”_

“Well, we know about him sir. We know you didn’t reap him.”

_“No, I did not.”_

Alan looked up at Eric, shifting his feet before he asked, “Would you care to explain why?” he was given the same explanation William had given to the American superior, but rather then anger, Alan felt compassion, the same compassion that made him ill. “You saw yourself?”

_“Yes.”_

“Well, Eric and I agree, he looks like you.”

_“That he does. Now, Oda informed you had called while I was resting.”_  

Alan did the explaining this time as Eric leant against the wall, crossing his arms with obvious impatience. Alan simply gave him a look before turning his back on the blonde. “And we are not sure where it came from. If it’s been there for years or just placed there recently.”

_“Either way, it’s very strange. Where did you find it exactly?”_

“In a larger folder that had nothing to do with reaping, just accounting.”

_“Then, that must have been the first blank record.”_

“Eric and I shared a similar thought.”

_“Thank you for relaying this information to me. Now, I’ll allow you to go to prepare for the day ahead.”_

“Goodnight sir.”

_“Good morning Humphries.”_

Alan hung up with a frown tugging his lips. “Wha’s wrong lad?” Eric asked, wrapping arms around Alan’s waist from behind. “Spears say somethin’?”

“No. It’s just, he thinks it’s also the first blank record and Undertaker was the only one that had access to that office twenty-four seven.”

“Then it’s gotta be the old fucker. Who else could it be?”

“But it’s a zero to one chance of him being in America the same time William is.” he turned in Eric’s arms, laying his forehead to Eric’s chest. “I’ll just be glad when this is over and done with.”

“Aye, sae will I.” he pulled back to take Alan’s arms. “Bu’, why dun we go an’ I can get ye tha’ tea?”

“Please.”

Eric lead the way to the break room and Alan plopped down on the couch as Eric focused on making his tea but like Eric’s mind, he was now stuck on the erased memories. He wanted answers just as much as Eric did and he hated his lover just a little bit for bringing him into this obsession.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

After work, Sebastian suggested they go to their favourite coffee shop as he offered to pay. Joseph saw no harm in it and he now waited at a table closest the window to watch the sun begin to set, the sky turning lovely colours of orange, red and a bit of pink. That was one of the things he loved about this city more then the small Canadian town he grew up in. Amazing sunsets. He was also glad it’d stopped raining for a bit, allowing the sun to fully shine. “Here.” Sebastian said as he sat across from him with his own black coffee.

“Thanks.” Joseph nodded, taking the cardboard cup. “So, why’d you suggest coffee?”

“Our last time talking ended up terrible and since we’re trying to turn over a new leaf, I figured might as well start now.” he leant back in his chair. “I know I’ve been shit to you.”

“No, you’ve just been stressed.”

“And a dick.”

Joseph smirked. “If you insist.”

Sebastian grinned. “You finally agree.”

“I’m not going to act like it wasn’t true.” he continued smirking, sipping from his cup. “But, seriously, it’s fine. I understand what you were going through and I don’t think I did anything to help.”

“Not really but it showed you tried to give a shit.” he swished around his cup. “Hey, I don’t wanna bring it up, but when we were in that hellhole and you were shot by Kid, I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

“You already told me you’re glad I’m not dead.”

“It’s more then that. I didn’t wanna look for another partner if I did…lose…you.” he shrugged. “Krimson needs more men like you.”

“You mean constantly falling down and getting shot?”

“Exactly.” he snickered.

Joseph rolled his eyes. “A ha, a ha.” he said with sarcasm.

Sebastian snorted then took another drink. “What I actually mean is someone reliable on and off the force. You fit the bill.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” he scoffed playfully.

“Can’t make it flattery when I’m not trying to win brownie points. I’m serious Glasses. You’re one, if not the best, partner I’ve had on this job…I mean…besides…”

“Myra?”

“Yeah.”

“Seb,” Joseph began, reaching across the table to place his hand over Sebastian’s wrist of the hand that was holding the coffee cup, “I know you miss her and her disappearance is going to eat you up inside for, well, probably forever but…you have to learn to let her go. Her and Lily.”

Joseph expected Sebastian to shove his hand away and storm out, yelling at him that he wouldn’t understand, but, instead, he was surprised when Sebastian let the coffee cup go to entwine their fingers. “I know.”

Joseph gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know it’s hard, letting go of two people so close to you, I felt it when my father died, but-”

“When’d your dad die?”

“Long time ago. Maybe a few months before…then.”

“And you never said anything?”

“I didn’t want to bring up family stuff when we were working on a case then the…fire happened and you didn’t need me complaining to you about my dead dad.” he shrugged. “Old news now but my point is, it feels so much better when you let them go and accept the fact that they aren’t coming back.”

“I know, I know but…Lily was only five fucking years old. I think that hurts more then her just being dead. She was too young.”

“She was.”

Sebastian shook his head. “Fuck it. When that reaper buddy of yours gets Lily’s memories, then I can really see what the fuck happened.”

Joseph nodded, eager as well to see the truth. “If it was just an accident, would you let it go?”

“I’ll try but I know it wasn’t a fucking accident.” he slammed his fist on the table causing a few patrons to jump and glare. “I know she was damn well murdered and her memories are going to prove it.”

Joseph retracted his hand. “Hopefully they’ll help.”

They finished their coffee in an awkward silence and Joseph thanked him again for the coffee then hardly said goodbye as he left the cafe. The walk home wasn’t long and he expected to do it alone when he was nearly tackled, arms tight around his waist and the feeling of scruff against his skin. “Seb?”

“Thank you.” was Sebastian’s reply, muffled by Joseph’s neck.

“…thank you?”

“For not giving up on me even though I put you through shit.”

“What are partners for?”

Sebastian breathed out, his breath ghosting past Joseph’s neck making him shiver. “Still. Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me for anything Sebastian.”

Sebastian turned him around, grasping his shoulders to keep him from moving anywhere. “I’m going to. I am. I’m thanking you for sticking by my side even when you should have just moved on, when you had the chance to forget about my sorry ass. I’m thanking you because you didn’t. You stayed with me, you stayed with me more then Myra did.”

Joseph blinked. “Seb…”

“You did. I know loosing a kid is hard for couples but she didn’t tell me anything of what she was doing then left, without a single fucking word. We were married. You stayed with me even though you were just my friend. All of that and more, deserves a thank you and you’re damn well taking it.”

Again, Joseph blinked, unsure of what to say before he smiled and returned Sebastian’s embrace, squeezing him gently. “I’m your partner and I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

“I know you will.”

Though Joseph was reluctant to separate, he did after a few moments remaining in the embrace. “I’d better get home and make sure William’s set up alright.”

“Yeah, okay.” There was little said as a goodbye but they didn’t leave on a heated fight this time around.

The walk home was pleasantly quiet, the sky now fully dark as the sun slept. he enjoyed night walks, the cool wind on his skin and the peace of hardly any cars. Just silence to allow him to think.

He stepped in to his home, dressing down as he made his way toward the living room, gun holsters, gloves and badge all gone by the time he reached William on the couch. “Are you sleeping here?” he asked.

William, who’d been laying stiff as board, opened his eyes to greet his host. “Is this not acceptable?”

“Well, not really. I have an extra bedroom for you to use if you want. It’s a hell of a lot comfier then this thing.”

“That would be preferred.” he replied, sitting up.

“Come with me.” William followed Joseph up to the second floor and to the spare room with a bed already made up. “Would this do?”

“I don’t have much say in my hosts home, but yes, it’ll do splendidly compared to the couch.” he bowed his thanks then stepped inside, sitting on the edge of the mattress. “Did you and Castellanos have any trouble after returning to the station?”

“Not really. The guy you said wouldn’t snap out of the daggers trance, did actually and he told us the same info Lawrence told us.” he replied, sitting beside William. “Other then another lecture from the Chief, it went normally. Seb and I even went for coffee after work.”

“Oh? How did that go?”

“Really well actually. I think we have things more sorted out then we did before.”

“Excellent news.”

“I’d say so. I mean, I don’t think it’s going in the way of romance but just having the old Sebastian back is good enough for me.” he turned to William, watching William shrug out of his suit jacket. “What about you? Did you call your friends back?”

“I did.” William nodded, folding the jacket in his lap before removing his gloves. He told Joseph all Alan had said to him and Joseph noted William’s throbbing temple until William reached up to rub it, closing his eyes. “Honestly, I haven’t a clue what any of this means. There does feel like there are other things at work here and there are questions I do not have answers too, such as, who’s erasing these memories? Why are they erasing them?” he shifted to pull the dagger from his belt loop, careful not to stab himself with it. The wound in his hand from the dagger had healed over well, leaving a pink blemish in the skin. “Where did this dagger come from? Who gave it to the mortals? Truly Oda, I’m at a loss.”

“Yeah, I am too.” hesitantly, he reached out to place his hand on William’s shoulder. “But I’m sure we’ll get the answers we want soon enough.”

William felt the hand and the urge to push it away arose but now that he’d actually gotten to know Joseph better, he refrained and let it rest on his shoulder. “I do hope so.” he replied, setting the dagger on the nightstand. “…may I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“This is going back to you and Castellanos, but, if given the chance, would you pursue a romantic relationship with him?”

“Yeah.” Joseph answered, dropping his hand from William’s shoulder to his own lap. “I would in a heartbeat but…like I said before. I don’t want to add to his problems, even if we’ve sort of fixed things. I just want him to be happy again.”

“Perhaps, his happiness is missing because _you_ are missing.”

Joseph laughed. “Wow, no. That’s not it.” he laughed again. “Is that how you sweet talked back in _your_ day?”

William cocked an eyebrow while adjusting his glasses. “I wasn’t aware that was ‘sweet talking’. I was simply stating a fact.”

“Sure.” he smiled. “I bet you were able to get a lot of dates back then.”

“Actually, you’re wrong.” William stated. “Much like how I am now, I was very introverted back then, shy if you will. I hadn’t many friends and the only friend I did have lived a few towns over making it rare we actually saw each other. My mother and father were the only true ‘friends’ I had, but, like back then, I’ve made due with it.”

“You’re not lonely?”

“Not as much as I used to be.”

Joseph’s smile dropped, shifting closer to him. “Do you have any friends now?”

“…I suppose Humphries.” he said after some thought. “Though, he’s more of an acquaintance, someone easy to talk to rather then a ‘friend’.”

“Do you have any fun?”

“No.”

Joseph set his hand on William’s knee. “How the hell do you survive?”

“Through copious amounts of paperwork.” he shifted awkwardly where he sat. “I’ve not even had a willing romantic relation.”

“…willing?”

“I was forced to marry her as she was forced to marry me. It did both our family good and we hadn’t a choice.” he removed his glasses, wiping his eyes. “I did come to like her but never love her.”

Joseph’s eyes flicked side to side, deciding what he should do before he cupped William’s cheek and gently turned his head so their eyes locked for a brief moment before Joseph leant in for a kiss, a sober one this time.

William sat stunned, this kiss actually having feeling behind it, something he envied in the kisses Eric and Alan shared, but now he was feeling it. An actual kiss. His fingers twitched on his thighs, unsure how to recuperate until he brought the hand that wasn’t holding his glasses to grab Joseph’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.

Joseph found the kiss of death rather pleasant and without quite knowing it, leant in for more, wrapping his arms around William’s waist. When he did pull back, his and William’s cheeks were flushed red, William still staring at him with surprised eyes, the most emotion Joseph had gotten out of the man since he’d met him. “Sorry.” he apologized. “I didn’t think I’d-”

“No, it’s fine. It’s alright. I…enjoyed it.” he muttered, downturning his eyes.

“…are you…ashamed?”

“Far from it. It’s simply…unreal to me.” he returned his eyes to Joseph. “Other then Sutcliffe, I’ve not come across anyone who would willingly kiss me.”

“Well, I don’t know if this is narcissistic since you look like me, but you’re a handsome man.”

“Then it would be narcissistic of I to repay your compliment with the same of my own.”

“Good.”

William looked down at the arms around his waist and copied the hold, bringing Joseph closer to him. “What of Castellanos.”

“I doubt I’ll ever have anything with him.” he shrugged. “I’m just going to let him go, as best I can anyway.”

“If that will make you happy.”

“Yeah, I hope it will.” he kissed William again. “And, why don’t you stay with me in my room so you’re not lonely?”

“You wish for me to sleep with you again?”

“Yes, except this time, I’m not drunk.”

William laughed, the sound startling Joseph. It was pleasant. Not loud or high, but a nice soft sound. “That would be preferable.”

Joseph smiled and stood up, taking William’s hands to lead him to the bedroom.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

The man lay on the medical table, frozen still as corpse. His eyes were glazed over, the top of his head popped open with his brain being prodded by a set of skilled hands. Long silver hair was pinned up to keep strands from his face as he worked, humming to himself as he tested how well this one would do. He didn’t think he’d be making dolls again but this was far too great an opportunity to pass up. “Have you completed this one yet?”

He knew the voice as it approached; it belonging to a pale skinned, white haired man. “Nearly done.” he chimed. “Just a bit more and I think I can safely say, he’s going to be our first.”

“Will he?”

“I think so. He didn’t have the strongest mind to break, did he?”

“Thankfully not. I believe we caught a lucky break with this one compared to the other thick heads you had to kill.” he crossed his arms. “And I’ve come to relay some news.”

“Oh? The good or the bad?”

“Bad. The reaper you said would be easily kept out of our way is now in possession of your dagger. We will not be able to keep him and the damned detectives off our backs for as long as you said we would.”

“That was just an estimate.” he shrugged. “But I’m sure my lamb will be late in figuring out my it’s me again. I’m sure he has suspicions but no evidence.”

“They do not have my name, thankfully. The detectives believe they’re done with me but I am far from done with them.”

“Your want for revenge is precisely why I decided to help you.”

“Your insanity is precisely why I came to you, Undertaker.”


	9. Chapter 9

Only a few shots had gone off before his gun was pried from his hands and tosses away, far out of his reach. He was now defenceless against this creature that was nearly drooling at the promise of a meal; a broken soul always having a bitter taste. Its fangs sharp, claws sharper as they were ready to tear into his flesh, rip him into nothing in order to get at his soul; he already had the wounds to prove it was possible with a deep cut just under his eye and long gashes down his left arm; but still, he put up the best fight he could. This demon wanted him but he wouldn’t let the demon have him.

He was trained to defend himself when unarmed and proved it when he was able to keep up with the demon yet he was only a mortal. This was a demon in the physical world, fully capable of decapitating him with little effort, much like the monstrosities he recalled from STEM; he’d rather take on a demon then the Keeper any day.

His eyes would continue to dart to the gun, hardly blocking the attacks from the demon until he found just enough space to dive for the weapon, grasping it tightly. “Fucker.” he growled, finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. As much as he wanted his partner to be here, he knew Joseph was back at the station finishing up paperwork. He had been ordered by the Chief to investigate the call that reported strange activity in the outskirts of town, an area where gunshots wouldn’t be heard. Sebastian didn’t think it’d be anything serious; most calls about anything out here were generally prank calls, but this certainly wasn’t. “Do you want to die?”

“You cannot kill a demon.” the creature said, stalking closer. “Shoot. Go ahead.”

His scowl deepened, pulling the trigger three times, the bullets ending up exactly where they were meant to, the chest where the heart would be but the demon only gave a chilling grin as it continued to walk closer. Another round of bullets flew out until the gun clicked. “Out of ammo?!” he questioned in disbelief as the gun clicked again. “Shit.”

When the demon pounced at him, he used the empty gun as a bat, hitting the demon the best he could, causing the creature to stumble when the gun connected with its temple. That seemed to disorientate him enough for Sebastian to tackle the demon, using handcuffs to keep the demons arms behind its back while he kept his knee on the demons lower back. As he had the time, he removed his phone and called his partner. “Joseph,” he began, a bit breathless, “get the fuck over here and bring that rea-” the demon was strong, snapping off the handcuffs and shoving Sebastian off. “Fuck.”

“I had told you.” the demon snarled, its red eyes glowing, narrowed, the scowl showing the sharp fangs. “I’m done playing, mortal.” he sneered, snatching the phone from Sebastian’s hand and crushed it. Sebastian used the rest of his energy to by time until Joseph arrived - if his partner was able to understand him through his quick, breathless talking - but his energy didn’t last long. Too soon, the demons claws tore into his shoulders, using the flesh to lift Sebastian up and slam him to the ground. “Finally. I must admit, you’ve starved me now. I’ve not had to work this hard for a meal in such a long time.”

“Fuck off.” he spat, refusing to wince at the pain his shoulders to keep from giving the demon pleasure of seeing his agony.

“Yes, cuss at me more you profane mortal.”

As the demon leaned down to clam his soul, claws grabbing tight to his chin to keep him still, the demon instantly fell limp on him after hearing two gunshots. It was Joseph, he knew it and he was glad to his partner as he shoved the demon off him. “Fuck.” he grunted, slowly shifting to one knee. His shoulders and arm hurt quite badly, his skin pale from the blood loss. “Thanks…Joseph.”

Joseph had knelt in front of him, holstering his gun as he observed the wounds. “Jesus Seb. These look awful.”

“They are.” 

Carefully, Joseph slipped his arms under Sebastian, easing him to his feet. “C’mon. I called in when I was driving here. We don’t need to return to work.”

“Good.”

Joseph helped Sebastian toward the car and into the passengers side. He glanced up, seeing the demon had gone. He wasn’t sure what a bullet could do to a demon but obviously it didn’t kill it.

To Sebastian the ride home felt like ages, even to Joseph it did, but they did arrive at Joseph’s home eventually. He helped his partner inside and eased him down onto the couch. “Undress.” Joseph ordered. Sebastian winced multiple times as his clothes brushed against the angry wounds, Joseph doing his best to help Sebastian out of his shirt and vest. “Damn.” Joseph muttered, seeing the wounds in their full glory. “These look awful.”

“Feels fucking worse.”

“Well, stay still. I’ll be back to wrap these up.”

Sebastian remained where he sat as Joseph left to get the supplies he needed. He didn’t like being left alone with such serious lacerations; the back of his mind chastising himself for staining the couch in his blood. “What happened to you?”

Sebastian turned his attention to William who had been living with Joseph for two weeks now. Though the ‘ritualistic killings’ as the KCPD called them, stopped with the dagger still safely in William’s possession, other deaths still happened, with William and Joseph seeing the erased memories. “Demon.” he replied.

William, who’d been leaning against the doorway arch from the kitchen, stepped inside the living room, making his way to Sebastian with a disgusted look on his normally stoic face. “Deplorable creatures.” 

“You can say that again. Those fucking things hurt.”

“They do, yes.” he leant over, examining the wounds across Sebastian’s shoulders. “Mm, you got lucky with these.”

“This is lucky?”

“Quite, actually.” his gloved hands carefully lifted Sebastian’s wounded arm. “Some demons claws are lined with poison thus you are quite lucky that is not the case here.”

“Shit. Then, yeah. I guess this is lucky.”

William nodded, biting back a scowl at the bits of flesh that hung from the wounds. “However, they aren’t bleeding as awfully as I suspected them to be.”

“Bled a hell of a lot more when they were fresh.”

“I can imagine.” gently, he thumbed the mark under Sebastian’s eye, close to making him blind. “You have gotten lucky.”

“I see that now.” he grunted, the cut stinging at William’s touch.

William took his hand away at the sound, continuing to eye the wound until Joseph came back with a fresh med kit and damp washcloth. “William! Good. Maybe you could help with bandaging these.”

“I shall.”

William accepted the washcloth Joseph handed him, beginning to wipe away the access blood while Joseph got the rest of the stuff ready. “How long will these take to heal?” Sebastian asked, glad William was gentle when pressing on his wounds.

“Quite some time.” he replied, using a bit more pressure to scrub away dried blood around the last claw mark in Sebastian’s shoulders. “Unlike Oda, who’s were quite shallow, these are rather deep and will take perhaps a month or two to scar over.”

“Great.” he eyed Joseph’s forearm, seeing faint pink lines marring his pale skin. “What about yours?”

“Mine have healed by now.” he replied, moving to Sebastian’s arm to give it the same treatment. “Reaper’s have a more advanced healing system compared to mortals.”

“They’re not even there anymore.” Joseph said from where he knelt. “Like he was never wounded to begin with. Now, William, how do we deal with these? Anything special or do the same what I did with yours?”

“The same way you tended to my wounds.” he replied. “Now, excuse me. I’ll throw this cloth in the bin as I’m sure this blood will not come out.”

Sebastian made sure William was gone before asking Joseph, “You see him topless often?”

Joseph shrugged. “Enough as couples do.”

“So, you are dating?”

“Yeah. You knew that. I told you the day after, didn’t I?”

Sebastian gave an offhand shrug. “Must of forgot.”

Joseph rolled his eyes and felt like proving it when William returned. He stood and approached William, surprising the both of them with a kiss. “Does that prove it?” he asked an arm slung around William’s shoulder.

“Guess so.”

William was clearly uncomfortable with the public display of affection as he cleared his throat, turning his eyes from Sebastian’s near glaring ones. “Yes, anyhow. Castellanos wounds need attention.”

Both returned to Sebastian’s side, William taking his spot next to Sebastian as Joseph knelt again by the kit. “Anyway, I thought we were done with demons.” Sebastian said. “You have the dagger now so why the hell are demons still around?”

“Demons have always been around.” William said, adjusting his glasses. “However, the blood from the dagger was enough to fill the pairing chalice completely and demons merely take a sip to gain extra strength. That chalice could still be halfway full.”

“Then why the hell don’t we go after it?”

“If you wish to take a step into Hell, please, be my guest.”

“Then-fuck!”

“Sorry.” Joseph quickly apologized, retracting his hand with the cotton ball of disinfectant when Sebastian jerked. “I was hoping you’d be distracted enough talking to William not to notice.”

“Nope.” he winced, the liquid still lingering over the first claw mark in his shoulder. “Just, warn me next time, jesus.”

“Sorry, sorry.” he swallowed, carefully returning his hand. “I’m starting again.”

Sebastian nodded, wincing when the cotton ball was applied. After the burning sensation eased a bit, he continued with his question. “Then who went to Hell and got the dagger and gave the chalice the blood?”

“We haven’t a clue.” William replied. “Nor do we have a clue about the erased memories. I’ve called Slingby and he’s just as lost as I am. He has mentioned Humphries suggested the Undertaker…but, it’s far too much of a coincidence for him to be here just as I am.”

“You’ve mentioned him before.” Joseph said. “What does he look like?”

As William gave the detailed description of the legendary reaper, he watched his companion faces pale, as if they’d seen a ghost and he knew, they’d seen him. “Where?” he asked, standing out of nerves. “Where did you see him?”

“We didn’t.” Sebastian said. “We were told about him by the first guy infatuated with the dagger.”

William cussed under his breath, turning his back to the two. “He’s the one that’s been doing all this? Why? What does he gain from all of this?”

Joseph silently finished with Sebastian’s wounds, wrapping the badges around Sebastian’s shoulders and arm before approaching William and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “Relax, okay?”

“It’s hard to relax when Undertaker has given demons the power to be stronger. What does he gain from this?” he asked again, as if he’d get an answer this time.

Joseph affectionally rubbed his hands over William’s arms. “Has he done something like this before?”

“No. Never. Even if he’s insane, he wouldn’t give demons or humans an artifact like that.”

“We’ll figure this out.” Joseph assured.

“We need to.” he clenched his hands in to fists. “If he plans to align with demons, we may not have a chance to stop him.”

“Then what can we do?” Sebastian asked.

William threw his hands in the air, turning around. “I haven’t a bloody clue. The only thing I can say about this, is at least we have the dagger in our hands so he cannot power more demons with it when the blood runs out. Perhaps he’s even behind the erased memories, hell, he probably is.” he rubbed a hand over his forehead, closing his eyes as stress lines formed. 

Joseph glanced at Sebastian, bringing William back to the couch as he sat him down. “Why don’t we discuss this over dinner.”

“I could go for some food.” Sebastian agreed, tugging on his ruined shirt.

“I believe dinner would be pleasant.” William agreed. “Home cooked or take away?”

“I was thinking delivery pizza?”

“Even better.” Sebastian said.

“William?”

“I’d rather not then.” William said. “I’m not a fan of eating out.”

“C’mon Will.” Sebastian urged. “It’s pizza.”

William looked between them then sighed. “Perhaps. Though I’d prefer chips if they have any.”

“Chips for dinner? Really? You’d prefer chips over pizza?”

William blinked. “Ah, I mean, fries. Chips are fries and crisps are chips.”

“That’s fucking confusing.”

“I suppose it can be.”

Joseph smiled. “Then I’ll order the pizza and William’s chips.” he moved to use the phone in the kitchen, his cell battery in the red.

Alone again with William, Sebastian leaned back in to the couch cushions. He could see how tense William was, back straight, shoulders perfectly squared. How the hell did he end up with Joseph? “So, you’re Joseph’s boyfriend, huh?”

William blinked, turning his head to Sebastian. “I suppose, yes.”

Sebastian nodded. “How close are you two?”

“Pardon?”

“How close are you two?” he asked again. “He’s seen you topless more then once mean I wanna know, is he good in bed?”

William blinked again, owlishly this time, surprised he’d been asked this question. “In bed?”

“Sex.”

“He’s as most are. Good.” he expected these questions from Knox and Slingby not Oda’s good friend.

“Just good?”

“Yes, why?”  
Sebastian scratched his scruff, shrugging. “Just curious.”

“I…see.” he cleared his throat again. “How are you feeling now?”

“Sore as fuck but better.”

“I’m pleased to hear that.” he looked over Sebastian’s wounds, making sure Joseph bandaged the wounds well which he seemed he did. “I wasn’t aware Oda had any medical training.”

Sebastian snorted. “With all the mishaps he has, he’s got to know medical.” he playfully nudged William’s side. “He’s kind of a klutz.”

“Is he?”

“You havne’t noticed?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, give it time.”

William nodded, folding his hands in his lap. “Now, I’m curious of how you came in contact with the demon. They normally don’t attack during the day in such a populated place.”

“I wasn’t attacked in the city.” he explained the call to William and the reaper’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“What did his voice sound like?”

“I don’t know. It was…creepy, I guess. Sort of like he escaped a…ah…mental hospital, he laughed a few times too when I spoke to him.”

William shook his head. “The Undertaker. He wanted you to meet this demon.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Maybe he thought you’d be with me.”

“Perhaps.” he drummed his fingers on his thigh. “How did Oda save you?”

“Shot it.”

“I suspect it didn’t stay dead?”

“No and don’t fucking tell me that it gets stronger the more you wound it.”

“No, no. It just takes more then bullets to kill a demon. It can incapacitate them for a few moments as Oda did but that’s about all. However, some demons, if not killed, may pursue their meal.”

“Why would the demon want my soul? It’s nothing special.”

“It doesn’t matter. A soul is a soul.”

“And it was probably Undertaker at the murder after we interrogated Lawrence.” Joseph said, remembering the strange being he’d seen, returning to the room. “He was on top of the roof when I went outside to investigate.”

William focused on Joseph as he entered. “You did?”

“Well, I didn’t really _see_ him but it looked a hell of a lot like him.”

“I didn’t see the bastard either but I believe Joseph.”

“Mm.” William hummed. “Why would Undertaker wait for the two of you?” again, he stood too nervous to sit. “Perhaps I should make a call to my reapers and tell them to be alert, then again, I’m sure they all are when out reaping…yet demons have gotten stronger…”

“Calm down.” Sebastian said. “You’re immortals, right? Shouldn’t be difficult for your kind to fight off demons.”

William glanced over his shoulder at Sebastian. “That does not mean we can ignore the pain of those things.” he turned around, gesturing to himself. “Though I have healed, the wounds were painful and they are capable of incapacitating us. I know of a few times a reaper was sent to the infirmary for severe injuries.”

“Still.” Sebastian pushed himself up to set his hand on William’s shoulder. “Why don’t you just relax for once.”

“That’s highly impossible for me.” he said, tempted to shove the hand from him but he was trying to improve his social interactions. “My job does not allow me to relax.”

“Well, you’re off the clock now.” he placed his other hand on William’s other shoulder and spun him around to force him down to the couch. “Relax.”

“Seb’s right.” Joseph said. “Relax. You’re off the clock and your reapers are strong.” he assured.

William eyed them both then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes. Yes, you two are right. I…I will try to relax.”

“Good.” Joseph rubbed his thigh comfortingly.

Sebastian crossed his arms, trying to keep the glare from the attention Joseph was giving William and instead focused his eyes on Joseph’s face, admiring it.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

“The last ones done.” Undertaker announced, finishing the stitches on the mans hairline. “We can send them out soon enough.”

The short white haired man nearly grin sadistically at the thought that entered his mind. “Excellent. I’m eager to send Mobius a message.”

“You shall soon.” Undertaker practically sang.

However there was doubt in his next question. “Are you positive this will work?”

“We’ll send them after out three lambs.” he replied, cutting off the excess thread, smiling down at the final member of their army. “They will work. They’re different from the ones I’ve created before however they’re far more capable then the others.” he turned around and patted the man on the head. “Worry not, Ruvik. This will work.”

Ruvik scowled, slapping Undertaker’s hand away but the expression faded as he stared almost eagerly at the body that lay on the metal surgical table. “That’s very pleasing to hear.”


	10. Chapter 10

Apparently, relaxing for William wasn’t as easy as Sebastian and Joseph thought it’d be. They had gotten William to sit down for a few minutes until he was back on his feet, pacing again until the delivery came. Thankfully dinner helped ease William’s mind and they ended up staying awake longer then they should have considering they had work the next morning.

It was a little after 1:00 in the morning, Joseph sitting up in bed, glasses still on his nose though he dressed in his pyjamas and looked at William expectantly as the reaper paced the floor at the foot of the bed. “You’re not coming to bed?” he asked.

“I cannot sleep.” William replied, twiddling his thumbs behind his back. “My mind is preoccupied.”

“I see that.” he crossed his arms. “You’re going to have a hell of a time getting up in the morning.”

“I’m well aware.” he paced a few more times then sat on the foot of the bed. He was still dressed in his suit, his fingers adjusting his glasses frequently. “Though this will not be the first night I will go without sleep. Many of nights, I’ve worked through, ignoring the lectures by many about my habits. I had once tried to go to bed at a decent time but this type of regime has been imprinted into my mind.”

Joseph shifted from where he sat, moving to kneel behind William, stroking fingers through his black locks, easing the strands from their combed back style. The strands fell loose, William blowing the strands that brushed over the bridge of his nose.  “First of all, why don’t you get undressed? It’ll be easier for you to sleep without this suit.”

William watched Joseph’s hands unbutton his suit jacket for him. Joseph was right, getting out of this suit would help him thus he shrugged out of the jacket, standing momentarily to hang his jacket in the closet Joseph shared with him, the tie soon to follow before returning to Joseph. “How is this?”

“Better but not entirely what I meant.” he gently pulled William to sit back down. “But this should help.”

William felt Joseph’s hands on his shoulders which quickly fell slack when Joseph began a massage. His stiff shoulders began to ease, muscles relaxing easily under Joseph’s fingers. “You have very talented hands.” he practically groaned.

“Thanks. I used to do this to Seb every now and then.”

“I feel.”

Joseph pressed a little harder, leaning over to kiss down William’s neck. “Anything else I can do to help you sleep?” he asked, sliding one hand from William’s shoulders, down to his chest, underneath his white shirt.

“You seem to be doing ‘anything’ at your own will.” he sighed, reaching one arm to hook it around Joseph’s neck. “But please, continue.”

Joseph gently eased William to his back, the kisses now being trailed up William’s neck, chin and to his lips. “I really didn’t think death could be so handsome.”

“You flatter me, Oda.” he replied, wrapping his arms around Joseph’s back, content to allow Joseph to take control. Joseph didn’t have a problem with this, the dominance shared easily between them.

As Joseph reached for the buttons on William’s shirt, both paused, hearing a sound outside, just under the window. Something banged against the back door. “The devil?” William asked as Joseph stood up to check outside; nothing. 

“I don’t see anything.” he said. He stood back and closed the window then returned to William, sitting on his hips. “Probably nothing. I hear weird bangs in this house off and on.” William obviously wasn’t convinced, the look in his eyes told the detective that much. “Relax.” Joseph said. “This is meant for you to relax. The bang was nothing.”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes.”

But Joseph had no excuse for what came next. The bang came again, then three more quickly followed before it sounded like the back door had been slammed open, both jolting upright. “And that?”

“….I don’t know.”

William summoned his scythe to him, holding it tightly in his hand. He could sense something, souls but they only felt half human. “Wake Castellanos.” he ordered, the older detective staying the night so they could make sure his wounds didn’t worsen. “I’ll see what’s in here.”

“What?”

“It certainly isn’t a ‘who’.”

That alone set Joseph on edge as William left and he quickly dashed to Sebastian’s room. “Seb, wake up.” he demanded, roughly shaking his shoulder, momentarily forgetting the wounds.

The pain of the pressure against them caused Sebastian to shout as he jolted up, glaring at Joseph, a hand placed over the again bleeding wounds. “What the hell Joseph?”

“I forgot, sorry, but you have to get up.”

“Why? Where’s Will?”

“Seeing what the hell broke down the door.”

“Shit, something did?”

“Sounded like it.”

“What time is it?”

“Last time I checked it was around one.”

Sebastian got out of bed in nothing but his trousers, ready to go down with William and defend the home when William returned with a panicked look on his face before he slammed the bedroom door and locked it. “What is it?” Joseph asked.

William was almost at a loss for words, his free hand waving in circles as he fought to speak until he simply said, “They’re back.”

“What’s back?”

“Those dolls the Undertaker created but these are stronger. I couldn't even kill them with my scythe.”

“Then what the fuck do we do?” Answers were delayed when the banging Joseph and William heard now was on the bedroom door, the doorknob rattling, the lock not made to take the beating. “Shit. You got a gun in here?”

“No. My guns in my bedroom.”

“And you didn’t grab it?”

“I was more worried about you.”

William ignored their bickering, trying to think of anything before the only logical thing came to mind. He sent his scythe back to his London flat, knowing the flat here was off limits since someone, most likely Undertaker, already ransacked it to get the dagger, there was only one other place he knew that would be safe. “This will disorientate you.” William interrupted, grasping each of their wrists.

“What are you doing?” Sebastian asked.

“We’re going to London. It’s, again, against the rules, but I haven’t much of a choice.”

The feeling of being ported was indescribable. Disorientating was hardly the right word for the nauseating sight of things blurring and whirling before they were forced to close their eyes and once things suddenly halted, the mortals dropped to their knees, Joseph placing his hands to either side of his head as Sebastian rested with his hands on the ground, fighting the urge to heave. William stood between them, his vision doubling with the effort of porting two mortals and he caught the glimpses of all his reapers with surprised looks before he stumbled back and fell unconscious, familiar arms catching him before he hit the ground. “What the fuck did ye do Spears?”

Hearing the thick accent he’d heard before, Joseph slowly lowered his hands and turned around, eyes wide at the reaper he and Sebastian saw on William’s phone; the reaper who looked like he was capable of killing them both without much thought as Eric stared at him like Eric had seen him before. “What the fuck did he do is right. He brought mortals here.” a reaper spoke up.

“What sort of punishment are they going to get?” another asked, clearly wanting to rid the mortals of any memory of this.

“Mr. Spears broke one of the most important rules.”

“We should just drop them back into the human realm and make them swear they’ll forget everything.”

“That won’t work. Humans like to tell everyone everything. There’s no private matters anymore.”

“Calm down, all o’ ye.” Eric spat. “These two are no’ goin’ back tae the mortal realm jus’ yet an no one is gettin’ punished. We all know Spears wouldnae do this unless somethin’ was _wrong_.” he shifted William in his arms. “‘m gonna bring these two tae Spears’s office and question them an’ I dun wanna ‘ear any complaints, alrigh’?” he was pleased when no one said anything. “Good, now back tae work. Ye all dun wan’ o’ertime, do ye?” the reapers slunk back to their work, though the ones that past Sebastian and Joseph glared at them, as if forgetting they were mortals once as well. “Righ’, I know ye, Joseph.”

“H-How?” Joseph asked, wobbling as he got to his feet, Sebastian in the same state, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead.

“Yer name was in the files. We know ye were meant tae die and we know Spears saved ye, fer some reason.” his eyes moved to Sebastian. “We dunno who ye are though.”

“Sebastian Castallanos.”

Eric cocked an eyebrow then surprised both by a hearty laugh. “Tha’s beautiful.” he chuckled.

“What? My name’s funny to you?”

“Aye, kinda.” he gestured with his head for them to follow which they had no choice but to do, ignoring the reapers that stared at them as they past, the ones not around to know mortals were suddenly in there realm.

They climbed the four sets of stairs until they reached William’s office, Eric easily supporting William with one arm as he used the other to open the door. “Righ’, we can talk while we wait fer Spears tae wake up.” he said, gently setting William down on the leather couch set against the wall with a bookcase beside the right arm of the couch.

“First of all, why the hell is my name funny?” Sebastian demanded.

Eric rounded the desk and set himself in the office chair, reclining in it. “Yer names funny because yer it’s Sebastian. The fact tha’, ye, Joseph, look like Spears an’ yer friends with a guy named Sebastian is jus’ perfect.”

“How?”

“There was a demon named Sebastian an’ ‘e an’ Spears _‘ated_ each other but ye two dun. It’s jus’ funny.” he crossed his leg over his knee, gesturing to the two armchairs in front of the desk. “Anyway, sit an’ tell me wha’ the hell ‘appened tae ye three.” Eric listened patiently but when the story ended, Eric had visibly tensed and his teeth were grit. “Fuck.” he cussed under his breath, straightening up. “Alan was righ’.”

Joseph had been staring intently at Eric as Sebastian did most of the explaining; he chimed in during the parts Sebastian wasn’t present. He knew the face but the name escaped him until he suddenly said, “You’re Eric Slingby.”

Eric nodded. “Aye, I am…ye know me?”

“We used Will’s phone and was able to find out about you and that Alan fellow.”

“Ah.”

“Why aren’t you pissed?”

“Wha’?”

“Pissed like the rest of you are that we’re here.”

“Unlike the rest, I dun tend tae get up in arms about thin’s unless it’s about Alan.” he shrugged. “An’ I know Spears wouldnae do this unless it was serious, which evidently, it was.” he looked over to William, concerned when William still made no movement. “In fact, it’s more serious then I thought it’d be. With these dolls bein’ stronger then the last an’ knowin’ Undertaker’s back…” he shook his head, brushing fingers through blonde locks. “When Spears wakes up, we’ll figure thin’s out more so.” he stood. “In the meantime, the two o’ ye are stuck ‘ere.”

“Yeah, we see that.” Sebastian huffed. “And what about clothes? I don’t wanna walk around in just pants.”

“And I don’t like walking around in just my pyjamas.” Joseph agreed.

Eric thought, stroking his goatee. “I think I may ‘ave clothes fer ye, Sebastian an’ Joseph, yer gonna ‘ave tae wait fer Spears tae wake up.” he picked up the phone on his desk and gave a call to Alan’s office, said a few words then hung up.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door before Alan stepped inside. “Eric, you wanted to-oh.” he saw the detectives. “Ah, hello.” he gave a small, polite wave.

Eric walked up to Alan, taking his hands as he leant in for a sweet kiss. “Alan, this is Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Oda.” he introduced, putting his arm around Alan’s shoulders. “Detectives, this is Alan Humphries.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Joseph said, standing to shake Alan’s hand.

“You as well.” Alan said, offering a kind smile.

Sebastian shook Alan’s hand as well then asked, “Why’s he here?”

“You’ll see.” he turned back to Alan. “Can ye do me a favour love?”

“What is it?”

“Could ye go ‘ome an’ bring back me spare suit?”

He nodded. “Alright.” he gave Eric the kiss this time, nodded to the two then left, closing the door behind him. “Alan’ll be back in a moment.” he said. “Won’t take ‘im long fer ‘im tae get ye the suit, detective.” he half sat on the edge of the desk, resting his hands in his lap.

“That your boyfriend?” Sebastian asked.

“Aye, tha’s me love.” he grinned. “Lovely lad ‘e is. ’s got fire tae ‘im though. Get ‘im riled up an yer either out on the curb ‘r yer gettin’ bitten an’ bruised in bed.” he chuckled. “Most the time, it’s the second outcome, but I dun complain abou’ tha’.” he winked.

“Yeah?”

“Yep.” he focused his duel toned eyes on Joseph. “Wha’ about ye Oda?”

“What?”

“How do ye feel bein’ ‘ere? Yer a mortal tha’ was brought back from the dead an’ now yer in death’s territory.”

“I feel…like I belong here but that I shouldn’t be here.”

Eric cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Huh Well, it kinda makes sense. Ye are like a dead man walkin’.” he turned to Sebastian. “An ye?”

Sebastian shook his head. “Confused as all fuck but our lives have been fucked for a long time now. You know, considering what we told you.”

Eric nodded. “Aye, I know.”

A moment later, the door opened again and Alan walked in with the top half of a neatly folded suit, knowing who it was for as he approached Sebastian. “This should fit. You and Eric look to be the same height and build.”

Sebastian took the suit. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Alan gave a polite nod then moved next to Eric, kissing his cheek. “When did they arrive?”

“Spears brought ‘em a little over a half hour ago.”

Alan turned around and approached William, leaning over to check up on him. “Doesnnae need medical, does ‘e?”

“No, he’s fine.” Alan assured. “He’s just passed out. He’ll wake soon enough.”

“Good.”

Sebastian finished dressing in the top half of the suit, feeling weird about the formal attire. “Thanks for lending this to me.”

Eric nodded. “Yer welcome lad.”

“Now, what the hell is happening? Is this normal for you?”

“Dealin’ with the Undertaker? Aye, kinda. We’ve been lookin’ fer ‘im an’ I guess Spears found ‘im.”

“And he’s the man, ah, reaper, that created these living dolls?”

“Well…no’ livin’.”

“Like zombies.” Joseph said. “That’s the way William described them to me. Like zombies.”

“And he couldn’t kill these zombies?”

“Wha’ ye described was different from wha’ we dealt with before.” Eric said as Alan returned to his side. “The ones we dealt with before were zombies. Dead corpses walkin’ but these are different.”

“Great, so what the hell are you going to do?”

“We’re goin’ tae look into this an’ wait fer our boss tae wake up.” Eric shifted from the desk, crossing his arms. “An’ ye two are helpin’. ’s no’ jus’ us that’s gonna be fixin’ this shit.”

“How? We can’t do shit against these things, especially if your boss can’t kill ‘em.”

“Yer in this now.”  
Alan shook his head, rubbing gently his hand over Eric’s arm. “He’s right, Eric. They don’t know much about what truly is going on. I don’t think they’d be able to help much.”

“You have to let us.” Joseph insisted. “We’re too far involved not to. Look at us. We’re in your realm, two mortals. 

Eric looked at Alan. “‘E’s righ’. We cannae send them back with those thin’s probably lookin’ fer ‘em.”

That in itself got Alan thinking. “Why would Undertaker even want mortals? From the sounds of things, he has enough of them.”

“Aye, but ‘e also ‘ad the Cryin’ Razor.” he gestured to William. “See tha’ thin’ on Spears’s belt? That’s a very dangerous weapon.”

Curious, Alan returned to William and leaned back over him. His eyes scanned William’s form until seeing the sheath. Grabbing the hilt of the dagger, he slid the weapon from it’s casing. His eyes showed instant surprise and admiration, the detectives worried this reaper had suddenly fallen under the daggers influence but instead, Alan said, “I’ve seen this in books!” he exclaimed, quite happily. “I never thought I’d see it in person.” gently he ran his finger over the blade. “Just as sharp as I read.”

Eric stepped behind Alan, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Wha’ else do ye know about it? Other then the blood collectin’.”

“It’s one of the most potent killing weapons created. Even immortals can be killed if it’s stabbed in the right place.”

“William’s been cut by it.” Joseph said.

“Where?” Alan asked, looking over his shoulder to the detective.

“His hand.”

“Which?”

“Right.”

Alan set the dagger on the desk then slid off the right glove of William’s hand revealing the scar of the wound William had said would heal which it didn’t unlike the rest of the wounds William received from the demon. “Just as I read,” he mused, gently turning William’s hand right and left, “permanent marks on the victims.”

“He said it’d heal.” Sebastian said.

“Spears may know a lot, but ‘e doesnnae know everythin’. Demon artifacts like this are beyond a lot of our comprehension.” he ruffled Alan’s hair. “I dinnae know tha’ until Alan said it, bu’ we should lock tha’ away in case Spears loses it.”

“That won’t happen.” Alan said, sliding the glove back on to William’s hand.

“Still.”

Sebastian approached them. “Look, reapers, do you two have any idea what your Undertaker fellow wants? Any ideas at all? Is there a way we can kill him?”

Eric chuckled, shaking his head. “Killin’ the Undertaker is no’ an option. One, ‘e’s legendary death an’ two, ‘e’s a pain int he arse tae fight. Red-”

“Grell.” Alan interjected with a slight nudge to Eric’s side.

“ _Grell_ ,” he playfully glared at Alan, “couldn’t even beat ‘im an’ that’s a bad sign.” he blinked, realizing who Sebastian’s partner looked like. “Shite. ‘e’s gonna ‘ave a field day when ‘e sees ye.” he said to Joseph.

“Why?” he asked, standing next to Sebastian.

“Ye look like Spears.”

“And?”

“Grell has a bit of an unhealthy obsession with William.” Alan answered. “And now that you’re here, he may just have a heart attack.”

Sebastian put his hand on Joseph’s shoulder, nearly protectively. “He isn’t touching Joseph.”

Eric eyed the hand. “Dun worry lover boy. Yer Joseph is gonna be fine. ‘e only looks like Spears, doesnnae act like ‘im.”

The tips of Joseph’s ears tinted pink as he gently pushed Sebastian’s hand from his shoulder. “He’s not my ‘lover’.”

“Really? Coulda fooled me.”

“No, he’s right.” Sebastian said with a bit of bite to his next words, “Will is.”

Alan and Eric both gave them the same unbelieving look before Eric laughed. “Yer serious? Holy shit. Will’s actually fucking someone. Damn, ne’er thought I’d ‘ear this.”

“Eric!” Alan chastised. “Don’t say it like that!”

“Wha’?! It’s true.”

Alan rolled his eyes and moved to Joseph. “I‘m sorry. He can be quite vulgar when he wants to be.”

“It’s fine.” Joseph assured. Sebastian obviously wasn’t fine with the way he glared at Eric but didn’t say anything.

“Eric-senpai, I-” Ronald halted in the doorway. “The hell?” it took a moment and then it clicked. “Oh! Y’re the mortals Mr. Spears brought back. Wow, they weren’t kiddin’ when they said y’ looked like him.” his eyes then found William. “What’s wrong with senpai?”

“Nothin’ Ron, jus’ overexerted himself.” Eric set his hand on Ronald’s feathered locks. “This is Ronald Knox. Good lad, bit whiny some times, but good lad.”

Ronald scoffed, smacking Eric’s hand from his head. “I don’t whine, y’ big arse.”

Eric grinned at him. “Ye kinda did Knoxie.”

Ronald pouted, crossing his arms. “Why are they here anyway?” he muttered. Again, the explanation was given and Ronald visibly wilted, looking defeated. “‘m not fightin’ that old geezer again. He kicked our asses last time.”

“You won’t be fighting him again.” Alan said. “At least, hopefully not.”

“We will need too.”

Their attention was brought to William who was sat up on the couch. “Spears, ye alrigh’?” Eric asked, sitting down next to him.

“Yes, yes I’m fine.” he replied, rubbing at his temple. “It just took a lot out of me.”

“We could see.” he rubbed his hand over William’s back in a soothing circular motion. “An’ now tha’ yer up, we’re gonna need tae discuss thin’s.”

“Yes, I know but let us discuss things tomorrow. I’m tired, feel a tad ill and just want to sleep.”

“Then where are they gonna stay?”

“With you and Humphries.”

He groaned. “Really?”

William shook his head. “Please do not argue, Eric.”

“Don’t worry sir. We will, won’t we Eric?” Alan asked, arms crossed.

Eric nodded. “Aye, aye, we will.”

As Eric stood, Ronald took his place, looking over him. “Y’ sure you’re gonna be okay sir?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine Knox. Worry not.”

Ronald didn’t like how pale William looked but nodded. “Okay, just, take it easy sir.”

“I shall for today.”

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

William had given Alan and Eric the rest of the day off to allow them to show Joseph and Sebastian to their flat, the detectives admiring the well clean and organized home. “You two live together?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah.” Eric answered, removing his jacket to hang it up on the coatrack, taking Alan’s when the brunette offered his jacket to him. “Have fer…damn, a long time now.” They lead them further inside. “Sae, love, why dun ye show them around an’ I’ll make…wha’ do ye two want? Coffee? Tea?”

“Coffee.” the detectives replied in unison.

“Then I’ll make them coffee an’ do ye want tea?” he asked Alan.

“Coffee’s fine for me as well.”

Eric kissed him. “’s no’ a problem tae make tea fer ye.”

Alan smiled against Eric’s lips. “If it’s no trouble.”

“No’ at all.”

“Then yes, tea please.”

“Alrigh’.”

After another kiss, Eric left Alan with the mortals. “Well, come with me. There’s not much to see, but it’d be best for you two to be acquainted with our home.” he moved down the hall, stopping at the first door. “This is the washroom. Ah, use whenever I suppose.”

“Do reapers have-?” 

“Yes, yes we have _all_ the necessities you need.” he opened the door. “See? It’s all in there.” he closed the door then led them to the next door, a few steps down. “This is the guest room, but,” he began, opening the door, “it only has one bed. Do you mind sharing?”

“No.” Sebastian said.

“It’s fine.” Joseph agreed.

“Great.” again, he closed the door and walked to the next. “This is mine and Eric’s room.” the door opened and they saw a warm, homey looking room, a room that looked far different from the rest of the homes decor. Sebastian had memories of the room Myra and he shared before he looked away. “And over here,” he began again, closing the door and walking to a wider door. “Is the office where one of us will be if we have paperwork to take home.” the room looked more similar to the rest of the house but still more welcoming then the rest of the home did. “And that’s pretty much it.” he said, leading them to the living room, sitting on the couch. “Kitchens just through there.” he said, gesturing to the archway.

“You have a nice home.” Joseph said, sitting on the shorter couch across from Alan, Sebastian sitting next to him.”

“Thank you.” he smiled softly. “And you two must be quite tired since you’re still on western time.”

“That’s why this coffee should be good.” Sebastian said, wiping at his eyes. “We haven’t had any sleep yet.”

“What time is it here?” Joseph questioned.

“A little past ten now.”

“Shit.” Sebastian groaned.

“Well, if you’re coffee doesn’t work, you’re free to go to bed.”

“Probably will anyway.” he tilted his head back to make sure Eric wasn’t returning yet. “What about him?” he asked, jerkin this thumb at the kitchen.

“Eric?”

“Yeah.”

“What about him?”

“Doesn’t he scare you?

Alan shook his head. “Of course not. Eric may look scary, but…well, depending on who you are, he’s quite, I wouldn't say nice, but he wouldn’t hurt you unless you gave him reason too.” though he did remember the times Eric would harm someone if they dared speak illy of him with this illness. How Eric had even almost struck him in his rage but thankfully had stopped when he realized who he’d hit. How he was so tempted by the thought of a thousand souls that Alan had to literally pin him down to keep him from killing. Those were awful times and he was so glad they were behind them. Eric was Eric again, the man he loved, the man that cared so deeply about him. “But, yes. He won’t hurt you.”

Joseph crossed his arms. “We’ll keep that in mind.”

“What about the two of you?” They shared a look and knew if Eric and William didn’t deem them crazy, surely Alan wouldn’t either thus again, they explained their STEM incident.

Alan leant forward, intrigued by their experience and fairly jumped when Eric placed a hand on his shoulder from where he stood behind the couch. “Sorry love.” he apologized.

Alan meant to glare but accepted the tea cup. “Thank you.” he muttered.

Eric rubbed his shoulders. “Coffee’s ready. Wha’ do ye two take?”

“Black.”

“Black’s fine.”

Eric nodded and returned to the kitchen. “You two are strong for going on considering all you’ve seen.” Alan said after a sip.

“We didn’t have a choice.” Sebastian said, accepting the cup when Eric came back with their coffee. “Thanks.”

Eric sat next to Alan after handing Joseph his cup, resting his arm over the back of the couch. “That is fucked though. ‘ow did ye two survive tha’ hell?”

“Barely.” Joseph said. “If it wasn’t for Sebastian, I don’t think I’d still be alive.”

Sebastian rested his hand on Joseph’s knee, giving it a light squeeze. “I guess we’re both just happy to be alive.”

Joseph nodded in agreement then remembered how reapers became reapers. He straightened and looked very apologetic. “We weren’t trying too…make you feel, or remember-”

“It’s fine.” Alan said, waving his hand to dismiss Joseph’s explanation. “Our deaths were…purposeful. We accepted that and now, this might have been the best option for us. We’re more happy dead then we were alive.”

“Aye, we are” Eric agreed. “Sounds morbid bu’…when ye grew up in the times we did were ye were no’ allowed tae really be who ye wanted tae be ‘r love who ye wanted tae, there wasn’t much choice.” he kissed Alan’s head.

Alan leaned against Eric, closing his eyes. Joseph felt envious of them but remained silent as he drank from his cup then he remembered something else. _‘…the thorns pierce through Alan’s heart, he’ll be…dead._ _Thus all Eric an do is comfort Alan during one of his attacks’_ he remembered William telling him. Perhaps, he wasn’t too envious of them at all anymore. Sebastian was still alive and wasn’t dying a slow, painful death.

They spoke a while longer until the coffee no longer had an affect on them. They thanked their hosts for the drinks and entered the guest room; hardly able to even situate themselves properly on the bed before falling into a deep, much needed, sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Eric had kept Alan company until he finished his tea and a few hours after left the flat with Alan staying at home with the sleeping detectives. Instantly, he went back to William’s office, just catching the man standing from his desk chair after reacquainting himself with the paperwork he needed to do. “Spears.” he said, closing the office door. “How’s everythin’ look?”

“Fine, thank you for keeping things well organized.”

Eric snickered to himself, knowing he was lucky he was able to tidy up before William unexpectedly returned then sobered when he saw William prepared to leave. “Ye goin’ somewhere?”  
William paused when he had just about ported away. “I’m returning to Oda’s flat to collect a few things.”

“‘m comin’ with ye.” without room to protest, he grabbed William’s wrist and ported for him, both ending up in the centre of Joseph’s living room.

“You needn’t come with me, Slingby.” William said, trying to yank his wrist from Eric’s hold.

“I dun need ye passin’ out again.” Eric replied, securing his hand on William. “‘m gonna make sure ye dun pass out again.”

Though William gave him the normal glare there was some sort of thanks behind it; a thanks for looking after him like most wouldn’t do. “If you feel you must.” again, he tugged his wrist free.

Eric grinned to William then set his hands on his hips, looking around the home. “Sae, wha’ are ye ‘ere tae get?”

“Oda cannot walk around in nothing but his night clothes,” he stated, moving toward the back of the house where the back door was, Eric at his heels, “can he?”

“No, guess not.” he now crossed his arms. “Ye been livin’ with ‘im long?”

“Two weeks.”

“Then why did ye send Oda tae stay with Alan an’ me instead of with ye?”

Upon coming to the back door, he gave his answer, “My home is meant for me alone.” before kneeling down by the door and checking the damage. “Bloody things.” the door had been kicked off its hinges, a few fingernail marks in the wood, the glass shattered underneath.

“Shite, they really wanted tae get in.”

“Yes.” he stood, rubbing at his forehead. “How curious.”

“Aye.”

William turned to Eric, asking, “Why would they bother coming here? Why would Undertaker send them here?”

Eric shoved his hands into his pockets, answering with what William thought he would, “Ye were ‘ere.”

“I thought so as well, but, if it were just I he was after, why did he wait for them to arrive at the murder he caused? He didn’t know I was working with them nor would he know if that murder would be on my death list.”

“Aye, ye got a point.” he rubbed at his chin, thinking.

“I believe these mortals are just as important him then I was.”

Eric blinked at that, following William with his head as the reaper began to leave the room before he quickly followed slightly. “How? They ‘ave no connection tae any o’ this.”

“That we know of.” he said over his shoulder, leading Eric upstairs. “Perhaps they are keeping something from…us…” he paused, seeing the spare bedroom door had also been kicked down. “They really wanted the three of us.” he commented, stepping toward the door. “The same marks as well.”

“Sae, no’ kicked bu’ pounded down.”

“Seems to be.”

“An’ ye said ye couldn’t kill ‘em?”

“No.” he moved away from the room and lead Eric toward Joseph’s bedroom. “They weren’t on the death list.”

Eric froze at that. “Yer sayin’…they were _alive_?”

“Yes. They were still alive. Though they only felt half human and tortured, they were still living.” he rubbed at his temple with two fingers.

Eric scratched his head then said what he wanted to before they were sidetracked. “Back tae the previous point, I dun think they’re hidin’ anythin’ from us. They looked like they told us everythin’.”

William scoffed. “The full truth is rarely ever told.” he pulled open the closet, pulling on the suit jacket and tie he had hung up hours earlier.

Eric rolled his eyes. “I dun think they’re lyin’ about anythin’.”

“I never said lying.” William corrected. “I said they’re not telling us the whole truth.”

Eric leant against the wall, again shoving his hands into his pocket as William went about the room collecting the things he believed Joseph would need; clothes, his pistol, etc. “Ye think STEM might ‘ave somethin’ tae do with it?”

“Pardon?”

“STEM. The hell they went through. Ye think tha’ could connect with somethin’?”

“How so?”

“I dunno. Jus’ tossin’ ideas out there.” he pushed himself from the wall when William had ported the items he collected to his and Alan’s flat. “Anywhere else we gotta go?”

William cocked an eyebrow. “ _I_ have to go to the Krimson supervisor to explain a few things. _You_ do not have to follow me.”

“I will.” Eric said, rather firmly, waggling his finger at William, reminding the younger reaper of the rare lecture Eric would give him if he did something wrong during their scythe training. “I ne’er seen a reaper pass out from portin’ an’ if it ‘appens again, ‘m gonna make sure ‘m there tae make sure ye dun pass out alone.”

William waved his hand. “It won’t happen, I can assure you. Simply porting with two mortals was more then I could handle. That is all.”

“‘m still comin’ with ye.”

William did see the serious concern in Eric’s eyes as Eric had seen the thanks in William’s eyes and seeing how Eric wouldn’t budge on the matter, he said nothing and took Eric’s arm, porting them to the Krimson realm. Eric looked a bit stunned but gained that cocky grin again. “Be quiet.” he snapped, before walking toward the stairs. He could hear Eric following him and knowing he’d have Eric beside him as he tried to explain himself to the division supervisor, Eric would be his alibi in this situation if the supervisor didn’t believe his story of the Undertaker having returned and his antics.

“You’ve brought a friend.” Horne greeted as William entered, Eric right behind him. “You are?”

“Eric Slingby.” Eric introduced with a two fingered salute.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Slingby.” he then turned his attention back to William. “Now, explain why you’ve been absent.” William gave an apologetic bow then explained all he could, Eric backing him up where he needed too when Horne gave the skeptical look until they were finished. Horne folded his hands on the desk, looking between them before nodding. “Why have you not mentioned this before, Mr. Spears?”

“I wasn’t aware how serious it was until now.” William said. “Forgive me.”

Horne pat the top of the desk before standing. “I’m not sure what it is that’s going on but if it’s important as you deem it to be,” he held out his hand, “you’re allowed to leave.”

“Thank you and I’m sorry I’ve not been much help to you.”

“I’ve heard things about the London dispatch and this isn’t surprising.”

Eric and William knew the reputation the London dispatch had among other reapers, considering a lot of things happened in their district. “Yes, well, if possible, I shall send someone over once this all clears up.” Horne gave an approved hum and before William left, he recalled a deal he had made with the older detective. “Ah, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“May I have access to your records department?”

Horne gave him a questioning look. “Why?”

“I…found I had relatives who moved to America around the nineteenth century and I wish to see they’re adventures upon their travels.”

“We don’t have any ‘Spears’ family memories.”

“My sister married into the Castellanos name thus I’m looking for them.”

“We do have memories under that name.” he thought a moment then gave a nod. “Go ahead.”

“Thank you again.”

William accepted the keycard Horne gave him and he lead the way toward the records department. “I dinnae know ye ‘ad a sister.”

“I didn’t.” William replied, pausing to swipe the card and let the doors open. “But I wasn’t about to tell him I was going to disclose the memories of Castellanos’s daughter to him.”

“Sae ye lied? Damn, I was righ’ tae ask Alan about wha’ the hell are ye drinkin’ o’er ‘ere. This isn't like ye.”

“I know but this isn't any normal circumstances anymore.”

“Ye did shit before this ‘appened?”

William turned on his heels to face Eric, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Because you are older then I, you believe you have the ability to chastise and scrutinize my actions but I must remind you, Slingby, I am your superior. I have the ability to drown you in paperwork and overtime, understand?”

Eric held up his hands in his defence. “I dinnae mean tae sound like tha’ at all. It’s jus’, it’s no’ like ye Spears.”

William dropped his hand, spinning back around to continue through the large aisle with large bookcases on either side in rows of eight, similar to the ones in the London dispatch. “Help me look for Castellanos.”

Eric eyed William up and down before doing as he was told, scanning each record he past until finally coming across the name William was looking for. “Found it!” he called out.

William entered the aisle and stood next to Eric, examining down the Castellanos line until finding Lily. “Here she is.” he said, sliding her record from next to her grandfathers. “It’s so thin.”

“Aye. She musta been young.” William opened the record and the cinematic reeled out, scrolling through all the young girls memories. “‘er ma was a fine lookin’ lass.” Eric commented.

“Honestly?”

“Wha’? I can appreciate a nice lookin’ woman.”

“Everyone knows that considering your list of one night shags.”

“No’ _all_ o’ em were fer a lay. I tried seriously datin’ a few.” he shrugged. “They jus’ ne’er did anythin’ fer me like Alan did.”

“Again, everyone could see that.” the memory continued to play, everything so normal. They saw everything and everyone in Lily’s life, how Joseph was like an uncle to her, how much Sebastian doted on her, how Myra was both the stern and playful mother; they had a happy family until the ending of the record came. The sounds were awful and it was even worse to see the cause of the fire.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

Sebastian didn’t get out of bed right away. The nightmare he just had still playing in his mind and he was honestly surprised he hadn’t woken Joseph who still slept soundlessly beside him; even his glasses remained a bit askew on his nose. He gently eased Joseph’s glasses from his nose and set them on the nightstand before quietly slipping from the bed.

He stumbled from the room - still running on the last bit of coffee energy - and found the kitchen. Alan was at the stove, making something. “Evenin’.” he greeted with a groggy, hoarse voice.

Alan jumped, whipping around, obviously ready to summon his scythe but the motion stopped when he remembered, and saw, it was only Sebastian. “You scared me.” he said, smiling in relief.

“Sorry.” he muttered.

Alan’s smile faltered and he asked as he turned back to the stove, “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” he replied, leaning on the archway.

“Well, that’s expected. You’re running on little sleep.” he looked over his shoulder. “Can I get you anything? More coffee? Tea?”

“Yeah, more coffee sounds good.”

“Then take a seat and I’ll have another pot brewing.”

Sebastian eagerly set his exhausted body at the dinning table chair, hardly able to keep his upper body from collapsing to the tabletop. “What are you making?”

“Cottage Pie.”

Sebastian rested his head on his hand. “What’s that?”

Alan thought. “I think it’s called Shepherds Pie elsewhere.”

“Ah.”

“Does it sound good?” he asked, preparing another pot of coffee. “I’d hate for our guests to not like it.”

“No, no. It’s fine.”

Alan nodded, returning to the pie and putting it in the stove to cook. “What about your partner? Is he still asleep?”

“Out like a light.”

Alan made sure everything was going well and the pie was cooking before he joined Sebastian at the table, observing him. “Why are you awake?”

“Nightmare.”

“Oh? What about?”

“Horrible shit.” he replied, scrubbing at his face with his hands. “Shit that won’t leave me alone.”

Alan leaned forward on the table. “Can I guess about your…experience.”

“That’s part of it.”

“What other nightmares do you have?”

Alan waited for an answer but Sebastian just stared at the tabletop. He expected his question to be unanswered but Sebastian replied the moment he moved to get up, “my daughter, Lily, was killed and my wife disappeared without any explanation.”

Alan reached across the table, resting his hand on Sebastian’s, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry.”

Sebastian eyed the hand; death was comforting. “Don’t need to be sorry. I got all the pity I didn’t want from everyone I knew.”

Alan removed his hand, thinking the action had been interpreted wrong. “May I ask, how old was your daughter?”

“Five.”

“Five?” Alan blinked then swallowed, folding this hands in front of himself.

“Yeah.”

Alan bowed his head and it remained silent before the coffee machine told him it was done and he got up to get Sebastian another cup. “Here.” he said in a quiet voice, setting a plain black mug in front of the man.

“Thanks.” he nodded, wrapping this hand around the mug. “Tell me something about you.” Sebastian said after another bout of silence.

“Me?” Alan asked, sitting back down.

“Yeah. Tell me…” he thought about the question before asking it, “was it hard to leave your family behind?”

Alan shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the question but took a deep breath and answered. “I…hated leaving my mother and father.” he said, downturning his eyes. “But I didn’t see any option out of my problem.”

“Problem?”

“Yes.” he clutched his hands together. “I was sick alive and since medicine wasn’t what it is today, I was quarantined in my home, for, what would have been, the rest of my life. They believed I’d ‘infect’ the rest of my town even though my parents hadn’t been affected at all. Though my parents knew different, they tried to make the most of it, my father often giving me books on flowers to keep me occupied but the longer I was forced to stay inside, the more I consider…leaving.” he shifted again. “While my mother was busy in the kitchen and my father in the back tending the garden and the farm, I was able to sneak from my room and take the medicine I was prescribed, downing the entire jar instead of what was recommended to me.”

“Did it hurt?”

“No.” he shook his head. “I fell asleep back in my room then woke up to reapers standing over me.” he leaned back in his chair to check on the pie. “I know it’s not a happy story but when it ends in killing yourself, I doubt any story would be.” he turned back to Sebastian with shoulders slouched.

“Sorry for asking.”

“No, it’s fine. Unlike some, my death isn’t as much as a touchy subject. I’m fine with giving an answer to those who ask.”

Sebastian sat up, drinking from his cup again. “Then, you’re serious about the other reaper, aren’t you?”

Alan nodded. “Very. I haven’t felt anything like this before. It’s nice to see someone other then blood, care about you…though he does care too much sometimes.”

“How?”

“He forgets I’m still capable of handling myself, doing things myself.” he drew continuous circles on the table. “I know he loves me but…” he shrugged.

“Capable? What? Do you reapers decay or something?”

Alan shook his head, laughing without any humour. “No. The others were smart and left their emotions behind to reap. I still had mine, I made the mistake of feeling pity for the dead.” he wasn’t sure why, as he normally kept these hidden from everyones view, but he did.  He rolled up his sleeve of his white dress shirt, showing Sebastian the faint, thorn like markings in his skin that followed along his veins. “These are mistakes. This is a woman’s Cinematic Record inside of me. I allowed her in because I pitied her and now I’m dying because of it.”

Sebastian leaned forward to carefully take Alan’s forearm into his hand. “They look like tattoos.”

“Sort of.”

Gently, he traced his fingers over the markings, finding them intriguing. “Damn.” he let Alan’s arm go. “Do they hurt?”

Alan touched them himself, trailing his finger up until the sleeve stopped him. “Not to the touch but they cause something akin to heart attacks.”

Sebastian winced behind the mug of his coffee as he took another sip. “How often?”

“Honestly, it feels like whenever.” he tugged his sleeve back down then stood to check on dinner. “Could you wake Joseph? Dinners ready.”

Sebastian nodded, leaving his cup behind to return to the guest room. “Joseph, get up.” he said, pushing on Joseph’s shoulder. “Dinners ready.”

“Huh? Dinner?” Joseph asked in a confused, half asleep state.

“Yeah. Ah, Alan has dinner ready.”

Joseph sat up, rubbing the heels of his hands against his eyes. “He made dinner?”

“What do you think?”

Joseph fumbled around for his glasses, finally finding them on the nightstand. “Great.” he muttered, slipping the glasses on.

As he had, Joseph stumbled out of bed, Sebastian guiding his still half asleep partner toward the kitchen where Alan was already dishing out the pie on to four plates. “How are you feeling Joseph?” Alan asked as Sebastian eased Joseph to sit.

“Tired, a bit sick.”

“Sick?”

Joseph nodded rubbing again at his eyes under his glasses. “Empty stomach plus the porting and strange sleep schedule has me feeling sick.”

“Well, hopefully this’ll help and if not, we have medicine that should.” he said, offering Joseph a plate.

“Thanks.” he nodded, accepting the plate with a fork already on it.

Sebastian took the next plate and sat next to Joseph, Alan joining them and periodic words were shared between them until a gentle ‘swishing’ sound was heard and Eric entered the kitchen. “You’ve been gone for awhile.” Alan said. “Did you and William get what you needed?”

“Aye, we got wha’ we needed.” he turned to Joseph. “Got yer clothes, pistol an’ stuff.”

“Great, thanks.”

He then turned to Sebastian. “An’ are ye alrigh’ wearin’ me spare suit?”

“Yeah.” he shrugged. “This is good, by the way.”

“Thank you.” Alan smiled. “Now come and sit, Eric. You must be hungry.”

“Aye, am.” he took the last plate and sat next to Alan. “Sorry it took longer then I thought it would.”

“It’s alright.”

Eric took Alan’s hand that rested on the table and stroked his thumb over Alan’s knuckles. Sebastian eyed the gesture, finding it endearing. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to Joseph’s hand and found himself stopping his hand from doing the same as Eric did to Alan. Instead, he clutched his hand on his thigh and enjoyed the dinner through gritted teeth.

Eventually, Sebastian and Joseph returned to bed, eager for more sleep, Alan and Eric doing the same. “Why did it take you so long?” Alan asked, undoing the buttons on his shirt.

Eric removed his tie, sighing. “Spears ‘ad an extra stop on ‘is adventure.”

“I see.” he eyed Eric and pressed up against Eric’s back, hugging him from behind. “You sound like there’s something else on your mind.”

Eric sighed deeply, turning around and wrapped Alan in his arms. “Spears went tae get the memories of Sebastian’s kid.”

“Oh, Lily.”

“…ow’d ye know?”

“He told me about her.”

Eric nodded. “Yeah, her.”

Alan kissed his chin. “What did you find?”

“I cannae say. I mean, aye, I can, ’s jus’, Sebastian should ‘ear it first.”

Alan kissed him again. “Alright.”

Eric squeezed him gently. “Love ye.”

“I love you too.”

As they went to bed, Sebastian continued to lay awake. Joseph was passed out nearly instantly but Sebastian didn’t have the ability to shut off his mind, especially when his nightmares would always return when he closed his eyes.

Sighing heavily though his nose, he rolled to his side, admiring Joseph. He looked so peaceful despite what the hell was going on. He was eager for sleep as well and cautiously, he wrapped his arms around Joseph and pulled him close to his body. He was warm, comforting, another body next to his felt so foreign but welcomed. Finally allowing his body to go lax, he closed his eyes and slept with Joseph in his arms.


	12. Chapter 12

The smell of breakfast wafted under his nose through the inch crack under the door. Even still stuck in his dreams, the smell made his mouth water; he hadn’t had a home cooked breakfast like this in years, dinner last night was glanced over, his body still too tired to register much of the taste but he was sure awake once he smelt the eggs and bacon if he could guess.

Blinking a few times to rid the sleep from his eyes, he found he was no longer resting on his pillow. He had expected to wake up seeing Sebastian next to him or to stare at the wall or roof but no. He woke up to Sebastian half underneath him with his head resting on the older detective’s chest. He was afraid he’d accidentally rolled onto him until he felt the loose arms of the man around his back and shoulders. Stunned. He was stunned. Had Sebastian actually pulled him to cuddle? No…of course not. He was probably…projecting Myra on to him.

That was a thought he didn’t want as he pushed himself up, Sebastian’s arms still loose around him. Well, perhaps he could pretend just for a minute that this was his and Sebastian’s room, that Sebastian had chosen him instead of Myra. 

Carefully, so he didn’t wake Sebastian, he brushed back loose strands of hair from the mans face, continuing to run fingers through the thick brown locks. For once, he looked peaceful. He didn’t see the normal frown or the stress lines; he just saw the ghost of younger Sebastian in this moment. He smiled and dared to lean down to press a chaste kiss to Sebastian’s forehead before quietly sliding out of the hold and from the bed, exiting the room silently.

Instead of finding Alan in the kitchen, he found his partner. Eric leant against the counter with a book as breakfast cooked away in the pan next to him. He flipped the page, unaware of Joseph’s presence until he cleared his throat and said, “Morning.”

Eric glanced up from his book, giving Joseph a nod before returning his eyes to the words. “Mornin’ lad. ‘ow are ye feelin’ t’day?”

“Better.” he answered, sitting at the dining table. 

“Tha’s good tae ‘ear.”

Joseph nodded, his nose and eyes curious to what was in the pan along with the familiar bacon and eggs. “What are you making?”

“An English Breakfast, jus’, without the black puddin’.”

“It smells so good, but, I thought Alan was the cook.”

“We switch off an’ on.” he flipped the page. “Dependin’ on whoever’s ‘ome ‘r up first is the one tha’ cooks an’ most the time, it’s ‘im.” he chuckled. “Lad likes tae be up on time an’ ‘ome as soon as possible.”

Home… “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“How well do you know William? He’s said you’ve known each other for years but, how well do you _actually_ know him?”

With such an out of nowhere question, Eric snapped his book shut to fix Joseph with a perplexed stare. “I know Spears well enough, I guess. Why?”

Joseph bowed his head, feeling silly about his next question. “Then…do you know why he had me stay with you two and not him?”

Eric set his book on the counter. “Tha’ ‘as ye bothered, does it?”

“Yes. I thought, I don’t know, we were close. After all, you said we were ‘fucking’.” he glared at Eric.

Eric winced. “Bad choice o’ words, I know. ‘m sorry. I dinnae mean tha’.”

Joseph’s shoulders slouched. “Either way, yeah.”

“I know ye were expectin’ Will tae let ye stay with ‘im, but Spears told me ‘e likes tae keep ‘is home, ‘is home. Other then ye, ‘e likes tae keep ‘is distance from everyone an’ I bet if ‘e invited anyone into ‘is home, they’d ‘ave tae be _real_ special but ‘e opened up tae ye, sae maybe yer gonna be tha’ real special one.”

Joseph cocked his head. “Are all these sort of flirty lines just part of being a reaper?”

Eric chuckled. “I think it’s got more tae do in growin’ up in the old days.” he turned to the stove to make sure breakfast wasn’t burning. “Anyhow, if ye want, ye can take a shower.”

“A shower would be nice.”

“Breakfast still needs time tae cook sae go ahead.”

“Thanks.” Joseph removed himself from the kitchen and easily made his way to the washroom. As Alan had showed them before, the room was nearly sparkling like the rest of the house but at the same time, inviting as he closed the door behind him.

He reached into the shower and turned the dial, making sure the water was neither too hot or cold; stepping inside and shutting the curtains when he found the perfect temperature. He stood under the pelting water, the pressure just right to feel like a mini massage on his muscles which he hadn’t realized were sore until now. He’d been tensed for so long and the warm water did wonders to ease that strain.

He must have stood under the water for a minute longer then he should of before he picked up the provided soap and began to wash his body, scrubbing away the imaginary grime on his skin. It also gave him time to think. Eric had said William like to keep his home, his. He understood wanting his home to be his private sanctuary but it also hurt a bit when he thought he was getting somewhere with William. After all,  _he_ willing shared his home with the reaper, so why couldn’t the man return the favour? Then again, he did get to share a bed with Sebastian, and though he felt guilty about it, he couldn’t shove his feelings for the man away. “Oda.” he heard along with a knock on the door. “Yer clothes.”

“Doors open.” he heard the door click open.

“Extra towel ‘ere fer ye as well.” Eric said after a few moments

Before Joseph could thank him, he heard the click of the door closing. Despite his earlier thoughts about Eric, upon seeing his file on William’s phone, the reaper turned out to be very hospitable. A bit crass but certainly didn’t look to live up to his scuff appearance…appearance…how had he not noticed the scar on William’s palm? He’d seen the man plenty of times without his gloves after he was cut with the dagger. Either he forced himself to not notice, worried that it wasn’t healing like William had said it would or William was just good at hiding things in plain sight.

Shaking his head, he quickly finished up the shower and stepped out to use the provided towel next to his neatly folded clothes to dry himself. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, meeting his own eyes for a brief moment before dressing in the familiar clothing.

Using the mirror to brush back his hair with his fingers into the normal slicked back fashion and straightening his tie, he then exited the washroom. He returned to the living area and found Alan relaxed on the couch with the same book Eric was reading before. “Morning Alan.” he greeted.

Alan looked up, smiling as he closed the book. “Good morning Joseph.” he greeted in return, setting the book on the glass surfaced coffee table before him. “Did you enjoy your shower?”

“I did, thanks again.”

“You’re our guest.” he reminded, patting the space next to him. “It’d be rude of us not to offer.”

Joseph sat next to Alan where the brunette offered. “Still, thanks.”

“Well, you’re welcome then.” he offered another smile before tilting his head back to call to Eric in the kitchen. “Is breakfast almost ready?”

“Almost. Ye can ‘ang in there fer a few more minutes.” Eric teased from his spot at the stove.

“But I’m starving, Eric. I’ve been waiting for far too long.” he teased.

Eric chuckled. “How can ye be starvin’ when I filled ye up this mornin’?”

Alan’s face turned a bright shade of pink before darkening to tomato red when he fully realized what Eric had said. He buried his face in his hand, groaning. “Eric,” he whined, “don’t say thing’s like that…especially with guests around!” another chuckle came from the kitchen, this one bordering on a full out, hearty laugh.

Joseph bit back his own amusement, running his hand over Alan’s back. “Does he say stuff like that often?”

“Yes.” he huffed, dropping his hands to his lap. “He loves to see me embarrassed like that, even if he can’t see me!” he spoke loud for Eric’s ears.

“Why are you shouting?”

Alan covered his mouth when Sebastian came into view, dressed fully in Eric’s spare suit this time, with a few changes of his own. The jacket was gone, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the tie loose. He would have worn the vest as well but Eric was always without it, even in his spare. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

“No.” he shrugged. “Just came out to hear you yelling for some reason.”

“I-It’s just…Eric.” he muttered, hanging his head again.

Eric grinned, poking his head into the room. “Breakfast.” Alan was the first to get up, smacking his lover on the chest with red still on his cheeks; Eric only continued to grin, pleased with the reaction he got.

Sebastian looked over to Joseph, the younger detective just shaking his head with an amused smile. “Nothing Seb.”

“You sure?”

“I am.” he snickered, standing.

Sebastian remained with a cocked eyebrow as they followed Alan into the kitchen, another spike of jealously when he saw Eric place a plate of breakfast before Alan along with a gentle kiss to his temple. He used to have that. He used to have a loving family. “Sebastian?”

He realized he was just standing in the archway, staring at the two reapers who were, rightfully so, giving him a strange look. “Sorry.” he sat next to Joseph.

Eric eyed Sebastian awhile longer, even as he prepared a plate for the two mortals. “Somethin’ botherin’ ye?”

“No.” he lied.

Joseph was unsure what to do, so he settled with a comforting squeeze to Sebastian’s forearm before enjoying the breakfast. “I have to ask. Since you and William went to my home yesterday, what’s the damage like?”

“Well, yer back door an’ bedroom door are broken tae shit an’ there’s mess leadin’ up tae the bedroom tha’ yer gonna need tae clean up.”

Joseph breathed a sigh. “That’s it?”

“Aye.”

“Then that shouldn’t cost much to repair.”

“We could lend you the pounds.” Alan said. “I mean, of course you’ll need to exchange it to dollars, but it is partly our fault your home got broken into.”

Joseph shook his head. “Offers nice, but it’s okay. It shouldn’t be much, but thank you anyway.” he smiled politely.

Alan gave him a smile in return and when breakfast was done, the mortals followed the reapers from their flat, being sure to stick close to the reapers as the others all gave them dirty looks. “Why are we hated so much?” Sebastian asked.

“Ye know, tha’s a good question.” Eric said over his shoulder. “‘m guessin’ it’s because ye two are alive an’ aren’t ‘ere fer eternity like the rest o’ us.”

“But you said you become reapers when you willingly take your own life. How can they be angry at us?” Joseph inquired.

“You have the will to live.” Alan said. “We didn’t.”

They shared a look and when they arrived into the lobby of the office building, reapers leaving and coming as they worked, they found Ronald and a red head he was talking too. “…and it’s kinda uncanny how much they look alike.” Ronald finished, hands in his pockets.

“Really?!” Grell inquired, hands folded under his chin as he fluttered his eyelashes. “Does he have the same stone cold eyes that Will does?”

Ronald chuckled. “N-” he saw the four of them approaching over Grell’s shoulder. “Well, he’s right there.” he gestured behind the red head.

Grell spun around and Joseph was practically tackled. “Oh! You do look like Will! Same hair, same sort of dress, same shape of eyes!” he pinched Joseph’s cheek. “Mm, but you don’t have the same, heartless, cold look Will does.” he frowned slightly. “You’re not the same stone prince Will is.” he shrugged. “Oh well! It just means we can skip breaking your shell and jump right to lovers!”

Eric pried Grell from Joseph, seeing the detective struggle to breathe. “Relax Red. Ye dun need tae kill the poor lad.”

“I wasn’t! I was just comparing.” he waved flirtatiously at Joseph who was hunched a bit to try and breathe properly while Sebastian ran his hand over his back. “But I’ll need you naked to do a full comparison.”

“No!” Joseph protested with a wheeze. “No, that’s out of the question!”

Grell pouted. “Drat. If I can’t see Will naked, I was hoping you’d do this lady a favour by giving her a lovely view.”

Alan rolled his eyes. “This is normal for him Joseph.”

Hearing that, Sebastian roughly shoved his arm around Joseph’s shoulders, tugging him protectively closer, jostling the younger man. “He does this to Will?”

“Daily.” Ronald said with a shrug. “But senpai’s used to it. Normally uses his scythe to smack him.”

“Hence why he’s a cold prince!” Grell said. “He tries to hide his love for me through ignoring or harming me, but deep down, I know his love for me is burning bright! He’s just afraid of breaking that cold shell to tell me how he truly feels!” he swooned, hugging himself as if William was embracing him.

Joseph had been looking up at Sebastian when the older man tugged him close then soon found his attention back on Grell. “…daily?” he confirmed.

“Daily.” Eric said. Ronald crossed his arms, able to keep the dirty look he wanted to give Grell inside until Eric got his attention. “Sae Knoxie, Spears in yet?”

“Yep! He’s in his office and sent me down here t’ watch out for all of y’. He wants us all in his office pronto.”

“We’ll take the lift then.”

Sebastian secured his grip on Joseph when the younger man meant to follow along. “Seb?” he asked. “You okay?”

“I’m not taking the elevator.”

“Why?” it then clicked. “STEM, right?” the look Sebastian gave was all the answer he needed. “Wait!” he called. “Can we take the stairs?”

“Ye sure? It’s gonna be crowded this time o’ day.” Eric asked.

“Doesn’t matter.” Sebastian said.

“I’ll take ‘em.” Ronald said. “Be there in a jiff!” he assured, rushing back to the mortals.

Sebastian was thankful to the young two-toned haired reaper as he led them to William’s office by the stairs. “I don’t like bein’ stuck in stuffy lifts either.” Ronald said, leading them up the first flight of stairs.

Joseph looked back at Sebastian. “It’s not really close quarters we’re worried about.”

“Huh? Not claustrophobic or anything?”

“No.”

“Then why not take the lift? Eric-senpai’s right about the stairs as y’ can probably tell.”

“Reasons blondie.” Sebastian said. “That’s all.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean t’ strike a nerve.”

They made it up to the third level until Ronald froze, seeing a reaper he’d been trying to avoid recently. Surprising the two mortals, he rushed behind Sebastian. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Shh! He wants me dead.” Ronald muttered.

“Why?”

“I mighta slept with his girlfriend by accident, okay? But I didn’t know they were datin’! She told me she was single.”

The reaper in question was Sebastian’s height but had a much bigger build then Sebastian. He was rather intimidating and they were sure Ronald didn’t realize how suspicious it must have been for them to be stopped in the middle of the stairwell. “You two the mortals, huh?” he asked, stopping before them, eyeing them up. “You gotta be real important if the boss brought you here.”

“Guess so.” Sebastian crossed his arms. “You need somethin’? If not, continue walkin’.”

The reaper’s eyes narrowed. “Pretty rude to someone who’s older and can kill you in a second.”

“I’m not in the mood for bullshit from anyone.”

“Then step aside. I’m not interested in you anyway.” he shoved the mortals to either side, revealing Ronald. “There ya are.”

Ronald shrunk under the gaze. “H-Hey! Ah, look, I gotta take them t’ see the boss! So…can we talk later?”

“How ‘bout we talk now.” he grasped Ronald’s  shirt collar and yanked him up, shoving him against the nearest wall. “You knew she was with me, right?”

“No! I-I swear I didn’t! She said she was single!”

“Bull. Shit.” he pressed Ronald harder to the wall.

“I swear!”

Sebastian grit his teeth and surprised the three of them by shoving the reaper back and standing in front of Ronald who was dropped to the floor. “You want to get involved too?”

“You can go fuck off.”

A scythe was summoned and Joseph panically flicked his eyes between the reaper and Sebastian who wouldn’t budge. “You want your name on the death list?”

When Sebastian still wouldn’t move, the reaper raised his scythe then brought it down, Joseph about to take the blow for the stubborn man when a familiar scythe came zipping in and pinned the others wrist to the wall, forcing him to drop his scythe. “Honestly. I had expected more from you, Piers.”

Ronald scrambled to his feet when William walked up to them. “Thank you sir!” he said with a bow.

“Mm.” he focused on Piers. “What has you so irrational?”

“Little blondie over there slept with my girl.”

William gave him a dull look as he let him go. “Get back to work. We’ll discuss your punishment later.”

“Punishment? For what?”

“Harming a fellow reaper and threatening to kill a man not on the death list.” his spun his scythe around his fingers then clamped it tight into his hand. “As for you three, follow me.” he turned on his heels and headed up the stairs.

Ronald swallowed then turned to Sebastian, taking his hands gratefully into his. “Thanks. I thought I was gonna end up in the infirmary ‘cuz of him.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” he shook Ronald’s hands free and followed William up the stairs.

“…okay?”

“Don’t mind him.” Joseph said. “He’s a bit…off right now.”

“Oh, ah, okay.” he shrugged then hopped up two stairs. “C’mon.”

Joseph followed and he was thankful when they arrived in William’s office, the reaper already sat in his office chair with Sebastian already in one of the armchairs, Eric leant against the wall, Alan on the couch and Grell half seated on the desk, paying attention to his manicured nails. “What took ye sae long?” Eric asked.

“Piers.” Ronald muttered, closing the door when Joseph stepped inside.

Eric rolled his eyes. “Told ye she was taken Knoxie.”

“Yeah, I’ll believe y’ next time.”

William cleared his throat. “May we begin what I wanted to discuss?”

“Yeah.” Ronald rounded the desk and perched himself on the windowsill behind William’s desk, resting his back against the wall and letting one leg dangle.

“Good. First question. This Undertaker bastard, he’s dead set on killing us, isn’t he?” Sebastian asked with a spark of hatred in his eyes.

“Seems to be.” William nodded. “Though I’m curious as to why. We, of course, have a history, but the two of you? I’m sure he never knew of your existence until this event.”

“And we’ve never heard of him until now.”

Ronald dropped the back of his head against the wall and said, “Well, maybe he’s workin’ with someone who wants y’ dead.”

William pushed his chair back to address Ronald. “You think so?”

“Yeah. I mean, maybe he met someone powerful that had a grudge against those two because they put away a friend or family or somethin’. I dunno.”

Joseph leant his forearms on his knees. “I don’t think we’ve put away anyone like that, have we Seb?”

“I don’t remeber any.”

“Well, to work with a Grim Reaper, they must be important.” Alan said. “I doubt Undertaker would work with just anyone who had a grudge. Actually, Undertaker didn’t know he’d be running in to you, sir, did he? You were probably just a nuisance again.”

“Yes, you’re right there Humphries. Undertaker hadn’t a clue I’d be in America. He shouldn’t have anyway.”

“An’ wha’ about, if Undertaker’s actually workin’ with someone, wouldn’t tha’ mean they were meant tae die soon since they saw the Undertaker?” Eric mused.

“Again, another good point.”

“Maybe a revenge scheme before he dies.” Grell suggested. “Maybe he’s sick and wants to kill you two before he dies and, Undy being the handsome bastard that he is, porbbaly saw a chance to have a little fun.”

“Maybe, but again. We don’t know anyone who’d want to kill us.”

“We’ve put away murderers, remeber Joseph? Maybe one of them want us dead.” Sebastian said.

“Er, true. Still, it’d have to be a murderer with a reputation as Alan pointed out, Undertaker wouldn’t want to work with just anyone under the sun.”  


William thought then was reminded of Eric’s suggestion. “Are you certain the two of you have told us _everything_ about your STEM escapade? All the characters, everything you remeber?”

Joseph nodded but Sebastian remained still, refusing to look anyone in the eye as he scowled and lowered his head. “Seb?” Joseph pried. “You told them everything, right?”

He could feel the eyes on him and nearly dashed from the room but knew, he had to tell Joseph what he’d seen eventually. “No.” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “There’s something else.”

Joseph was taken aback, standing as well. “What weren’t you telling them? Telling me?”

“Ruvik.”

Joseph was even more confused. “He’s dead. You told me you killed him, you destroyed his brain.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I told you that because I didn’t want you to panic about what I saw when I stepped out of Beacon.”

“Sebastian,” Joseph began in a stern tone, grabbing his bicep. “What did you see?”

Sebastian glanced at the hand then said, “Ruvik used Leslie’s body as a way out. He escaped STEM using Leslie.”

Joseph’s gripped tightened, anger bubbling in his chest. “Damn it Sebastian. This would have been nice to know from the beginning.”

“What the hell was I supposed to tell you?”

“Exactly this!”

Sebastian yanked his hand from Joseph’s grip. “And have you just as paranoid as I was?! Fuck no!”

“I went through that hell with you and I damn well deserved to know the psychopath that did this to us is still out there!”

“Calm down.” Eric said, stepping between them. “Yellin’ at each other isn’t gonna fix anythin’.”

Sebastian sat back down. “So yes, there’s something I didn’t tell you but what the fuck are the chances of Ruvik working with the Undertaker and why would he need a Grim Reaper?”

“The chances would be slim.” Alan said from his spot. “However, he could accomplish a lot by working with Undertaker.”

“Such as the dolls.” William mused. “Perhaps the reason they came to your home was not just for  I but to bring you two back to face this Ruvik so he may exact…whatever it is he wishes to do. It would also explain why he waited for the two of you at the murder he created.”

Joseph sat on the arm of the couch, resting an arm over his bent up knee. “Then what about the dagger and demons? That has nothing to do with any of this from what I can see.”

“I’m sure Undertaker had an idea for it.”

“Then, perhaps the erased memories were failed dolls and that was Undertakers attempt to keep any reaper from seeing what he was doing so soon.” Alan added.

“Why would Undertaker make the dolls again anyway?” Ronald asked, sliding from the windowsill. “I guess I could see if he wanted the three of y’, but why not grab y’ himself? Be easier then relaying on those dolls to do it.”

“He, or they, must ‘ave bigger plans for the dolls.” Eric said.

Sebastian let out a heavy sigh. “So now what? We know shit about what they’re doing or where they are.”

Eric nodded. “I agree with the detective. We dunno anythin’ tae do somethin’ about it.”

William tapped his fingers together in thought. “There isn’t much we can do as of now. I’d suggest sending someone to scope him out but he’ll likely take them down without any hesitation.” then there was a knock at the door that grabbed his attention. Annoyed at their meeting being interrupted, he reluctantly allowed the reaper in. “Enter.”

The door opened and one of the newer reapers walked in. He was obviously nervous to begin with and became even more on edge when he saw the mortals in the room. In quick strides, he walked up to William’s desk, holding him an envelope. “F-From the Bored, sir.”

William faltered when reaching for the envelope. “Thank you.” the reaper gave William a quick bow then fled the office, nearly slamming the door behind him in the rush to leave. “Bloody hell.” he muttered, staring at the envelope.

“You have a Bored?” Sebastian asked.

“I’m afraid we do…and they must know of your presence.” the office was silent as William opened the envelope and slid out the letter. He read it quickly and his face paled with every word.

“Wha’ is it Spears?”

“They wish to speak with me.” he answered, standing. “I haven’t a choice but to leave. I shall, hopefully, return soon.” then he left.

Ronald took up the empty chair, sitting comfortably on the object, though worried for his superior. “What’d y’ think they wanna talk t’ him about?”

“God knows Ronnie.” Grell frowned. “He could be in big trouble for bringing you two here.”

“He didn’t have a choice.” Sebastian defended. “We didn’t.”

“The Bored don’t really tend to listen to any excuses, weather they be legitimate or not.” Alan said, standing to move next to Eric.

“What’ll they do to him?” Joseph asked.

“It depends honestly. From the bad, which would be overtime for an extended period of time, to worst which would be imprisonment for breaking a very important rule.”

“Fuck.” Sebastian cussed.

Eric shared the sentiment, rubbing Alan’s arm then remembered he had to show Sebastian something very important to the detective. Lily’s memories. “While we wait fer the verdict, detective, there’s somethin’ ye wanted tae see.”

“That is?”

Eric rounded the desk and opened the top drawer, pulling out the Cinematic Record of Lily Castellanos and set it in front of Sebastian. “Ye wanted this.”

Sebastian just stared at the book before him. _‘Lily’_ he thought. This was  his daughter, her name engraved with golden thread on the cover. His hands shook, placing his palm on the cover. His eyes began to water and just as it bothered Eric and William, it bothers him at how thin the book was.

Joseph was next to him at once, resting his hands gently on Sebastian’s shoulders, careful of his wounds still there. Eric stood opposite of them with Alan by his side again, the reapers watching and waiting to divulge the memories Sebastian so cruelly couldn’t see. “It’s okay Seb.” Joseph assured, offering the most comfort he could even as he choked up, loving the little girl as the uncle she claimed him to be.

“I ‘ope this’ll give ye closure.” Eric said.

“I hope it fucking does too.” after a deep breath, his fingers curled around the edge of the cover. “Joseph, tell me everything you see, alright? I don’t care if it’s mundane shit. I want to hear everything.”

“I’ll do my best.” Sebastian put his other hand over Joseph’s then opened the record.

Alan grasped Eric’s hand and Joseph was still astonished he could see such things. He tried to keep his grip on Sebastian’s shoulders light but seeing the little girl again was painful for him and he wished he could share this with Sebastian. “She’s a sweet little thing.” Grell commented with an adoring coo.

“She is.” Sebastian agreed, eyes closed as Joseph did his best to describe everything. Then the record came to an end and Joseph went dead silent, his voice caught in his throat. “Joseph?” he asked, opening his eyes and turning around to face his partner. “Well? How did it…how did she die?”

Ronald winced and Grell even felt pity as Alan swallowed, squeezing Eric’s hand a little tighter. “Yer wife was the cause o’ the fire.”

Sebastian froze then glared daggers at Eric. “You’re fucking with me.”

“‘m no’.” he bowed his head. “Joseph?”

Sebastian bolted upright, spinning around and pinning Joseph with a desperate and enraged glare. “Tell me the truth.” the words stuck in Joseph’s throat were enough of an answer for him. With betrayal and rage fuelling his actions, he slammed the record closed then threw it against the wall; Ronald quickly darting behind Eric to avoid the object thrown in his direction. “Myra caused the damn fire? Why the fuck would she do that? Why the fuck would she take my daughter from me?!” he demanded, slamming his fists on the desk. “Was Myra’s record there?”

“No. From wha’ we saw, she’s still alive.”

There was nothing more he could say. With a look that would have slaughtered everyone in the room, he left the office with a bang of the office door that rattled the sparse pictures on the wall. “Shit.” Ronald partly whimpered, poking his head from behind Eric. “He’s scary.”

Joseph’s arms hung at his side, feeling just as betrayed as Sebastian did. His heart dropped to his stomach, his body walking on autopilot toward the book. “Myra…” he muttered, leaning down to pick up the record and hold it to his chest. “She…” he shook his head in disbelief. “Lily.”

Eric looked at the reapers then Joseph before taking the few steps toward the mortal. “Ye gonna be alright?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Eric squeezed his shoulder then headed for the door. “‘m gonna make sure Castellanos doesn’t do anythin’ stupid.”

“Be careful.” Alan pleaded.

“I will love.” he gave them a nod before leaving the office, quickly following the mortals scent and the look of shocked reapers helped led him outside the office building. With the scent fading fast, he asked the next reaper to pass him. “Ye seen a mortal come by?”

“Okay, so I wasn’t goin’ crazy. Yeah, he was going down that way.” he pointed down the road.

“Thanks.” Eric followed the scent and eventually found Sebastian in one of the quieter parts of town drinking from Eric’s whiskey flask he kept in his spare suit jacket “There ye are.” he said “Dun want ye wanderin’ off tae far.”

“Fuck off.” Sebastian sneered. “I don’t want to talk because I know that’s why you’re here.”

Eric folded his arms behind his head, leaning against the wall. “‘m no’ ‘ere tae talk.”

“Bullshit.” he took another swig. “Then why are you here? To be my babysitter?”

“Aye, guess ye could say tha’. Like I said, dun want ye wanderin’ tae far.” he eyed the flask. “An’ tha’s mind ye know.”

“You want it back?”

Eric shook his head. “Ye need it more then I do righ’ now.” but he did pat his pockets before producing a packet of cigarettes and offered the packet to Sebastian.

Sebastian eyed the packet then the flask and decided that smokes were better. He slipped the flask away then took a cig, letting Eric light it before taking a much needed drag, Eric lighting his own before they stood in silence. “Righ’, maybe I did come ‘ere tae talk.” Eric said after what felt like hours passed by.

“Knew it.” he took another drag. “Then you can fuck off.”

Eric shrugged, resting his hands in his jacket pockets, holding the smoke between his lips. “I know ye feel betrayed, I would to if tae if tha’ was me wife, bu’-”

“But what? My wife killed my daughter then left…I’m…”

Eric reached up to hold the smoke between two fingers. “I know. Honestly, I do. Why do ye think ‘m in purgatory? But I jus’ want tae remind ye, yer daughter would want ye tae fix this.”

“How? How the hell would you know? You got kids?”

Eric nodded. “‘ad. I had a daughter an’ a son.”

“And what happened to them?”

Eric sighed out the smoke. “Murdered, me wife tae sae I tried killin’ meself sae I didnnae ‘ave tae live without ‘em and shocker, I ended up ‘ere then I met Alan and he’s dyin’ on me…” his smirk hardly hid the gloom in his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder wha’ the hell did I do tae lose all the people I care about.” he shook his head, riding himself of the saddened look. “My point is, yer makin’ yer daughter proud by still livin’. I let me family down when I tried tae follow them an’ wha’d make ‘er ‘appier is fer ‘er pa tae put the murderer behind bars. Aye, I know it’s yer wife an’ I know I wouldnae ‘ave the balls tae do tha’ tae me wife, but yer a detective, righ’? Tha’s yer job isn’t it?” Sebastian looked at the cig between his fingers, slowly breathing out. He knew Eric was right but a small part of him wanted to deny everything he heard though he knew no one had a reason to lie to him, especially Joseph when the younger man looked just as hurt as he did.

Taking another drag, he realized this was going to be his motive to end this for good. To get revenge for Lily and put the burned bastard in his place once and for all. “I’m going to crush Ruvik under my foot again and make damn sure he’s dead this time.” he faced Eric, “but I’m going to need reapers to help me.”

“Ye got us.”

“Then let’s get back to the others. I’m pissed and I want someone to pay.”


	13. Chapter 13

He stood in the center of the Bored room, in front of a podium as a spotlight shone down on him. His fingers twitched at his side, head titled upward to view the Bored that sat in stone medium high walled seats, cast in shadow. Normally, when he was called to address the Bored, he would do so with his head held proudly, knowing he wasn’t the one they were angry with; normally, it was Grell and he was merely called to deliver the punishment to the red head, but now, he was the one who had broken not one, but two very important laws. Now, he was the anxious one, hoping his punishment was just having his scythe revoked for a few years. “We never expected anything like this from you, Mr. Spears.” the reaper who sat in the middle of the five Bored members. “Not only were we informed you allowed a mortal to live but you also brought said mortal and his friend here.” the man sighed, resting his fingers against the arm of his glasses. “Before we give you the decided punishment, we will allow you to give us an explanation for your actions.”

William promptly told them all he knew, keeping his voice calm despite his nerves and hoped when he mentioned the Undertaker was involved, it’d excuse some of his actions. “A mortal?” the reaper on the far right questioned. “You mustn’t be serious.”

“I’m afraid I am, sir.”

“You expect us to believe that?”

William swallowed. “I know it’s hard to believe but it’s the honest truth.” he insisted.

“Name the mortal then,”

“Ruvik.”

“Do you have any evidence?” the reaper on the left of center spoke.

“At the moment, I have just my word, sirs.” The Bored debated amongst themselves for a few moments as William stood there with some hope in his heart. 

Finally, the Bored when quiet and the center reaper stood. “William T. Spears, you’ve been a trusted reaper from the day you graduated the academy and you haven’t a reason to create such a farce thus we are inclined to believe you. However, we still require proof.” he snapped his fingers and on the podium a camera materialized. “A photo will be more then enough evidence and once you have it, we will considering helping you."

William picked up the camera then bowed. “Thank you sirs.”

“Dismissed Spears.”

He bowed again in thanks then left the room, the door to the Bored room closing behind him then dematerialized. He stared down at the camera, knowing he had to return to America and find the Undertaker. Easily said but not easily done. He hadn’t a clue where to start; none of them did.

With little choice, he returned to his office and found two missing as well as Lily’s record secured in Joseph’s arms, the man sat on the couch, clutching the record, staring at nothing. That was the answer he needed to know where Sebastian had run off to. “I see.”

Ronald quickly scrabbled out of William’s chair as Alan stepped forward, a grim look upon his face. “Eric showed them.”

William glanced at Joseph again, moving to his desk, setting the camera on the object. “Better now then later. Do you know where Castellanos and Slingby ran off too?”

“No sir. I just know Eric followed Sebastian and that’s it but what of the Bored? Why did you bring back a camera?”

William gave the explanation and Grell scoffed. “They want photos? You’re going to have a hell of a time with that Will.”

“I know but I haven’t a choice and having the Bored’s help with this is almost needed.”

“…you have to take a photo of Undertaker working with Ruvik?” Joseph spoke up, still staring at nothing. “That’s it?”

“A simple as it sounds, it won’t be but yes. That’s the gist of it.”

Joseph finally tore his eyes from staring and set them on the record he set on his lap, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Where would you begin?”

William shook his head. “I wish I knew. We’ve seen Undertaker but we haven’t seen where…” he suddenly remembered the dolls.

“What is it sir?” Ronald asked. “Though o’ somethin’?”

“I might have. Those dolls Undertaker created are meant for killing and if we follow the death, we’re sure to find the Undertaker and most likely Ruvik as well. That just means I’ll need to acquire a Krimson City death list which also means retuning to America but the list should make getting a photo easier then without it.”

“Tha’ sounds like a grand idea Spears.”

Joseph shot to his feet when he saw Sebastian, the record clunking to the floor. He saw the unbridled rage in his parters eyes and he flinched when Sebastian approached him but the strong embrace he was yanked into wasn’t at all what he was expecting. “We’re going to end this bastard once and for all.” Sebastian whispered to him. “And we’re gonna get justice for Lily then forget all this shit and finally move on.” Joseph’s response wasn’t verbal but conveyed with a tight squeeze to the older man.

Eric gave a half grin, wrapping his arms around Alan’s waist. “Sae, that’s the plan then?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s not much of one but that’s all I can think of.”

“I think it could work.” he ran his hands over Alan’s sides. “Bu’ yer no’ goin’ alone.”

“Why’s that? I’m capable of taking care of myself Slingby.”

“Against the Undertaker? No, sorry lad, bu’ ‘m comin’ with ye.”

“What about us?” Sebastian interjected, parting from Joseph. “We live there, so we should be going.”

“Absolutely not.” William protested. “Undertaker wants the two of you for your Ruvik friend. The two of you are safer here.”

Sebastian crossed his arms. “I’m not going to stay here forever while you fight this battle for us. Joseph and I are more then able to fight with you.”

“I’m not saying you won’t help, but as of now, you two are safer here.”

“Lad’s right.” Eric agreed. “When we get the help o’ the Bored with tha’ photo, we’ll make a plan tha’ includes the two o’ ye.”

“I don’t like just the two of you going.” Alan spoke up. “Just you two against the Undertaker? It didn’t work for Grell and Ronald, thus I’m sure it won’t work for you two.”

“Alan’s right.” Ronald nodded. “Undertaker fucked us up bad. I mean, I dunno how you two will do, but I bet it’s gonna be a good chance you’re gonna get your arses beat.”

“Ronnie and Allie are right dears. He may go a light on you but he surely won’t let you go without a bruise or forty.” Grell added.

William drummed his fingers on his arms. “I wasn’t planning on attacking the Undertaker. All we need is a photo, just one and it can be taken far enough away where interactions with him are not necessary.”

As Joseph knelt to pick up Lily’s record, another question came to mind which he voiced with worry. “What about our job? We’ve already missed two days. We’ll be fired at this point.”

“Leave tha’ tae us.” Eric assured. “Yer boss won’t fire ye.”

“How are you sure? What’ll you do?”

“I got me ways.”

Though Joseph was skeptical, he said nothing else. “How long will you be gone?” Sebastian asked.

“Long enough for a photo.” William replied, picking up the camera. “Once we get it, we’ll be back. As for the rest of you, I want things to run as they normally do. Sebastian, Joseph, you’re free to visit London with one of these three with you. I know porting is a bit of a headache, but you’ll get used to it as we all had too.”

“Can you also make sure my home won’t be broken into?” Joseph requested.

“I’ll make sure nothing happens to it.” William nodded. “As for me, I’ll be staying at my temporary apartment.”

“Tha’ means the couch fer me, righ’?”

“I never said you were coming.”

“No, I did.” he slung his arm around William’s shoulders, squeezing him. “An’ ‘m no’ takin’ no fer an answer.”

William glared at him, trying to shrug Eric off him but the older reaper wasn’t about to let him go. “Fine. You may come.”

“Ye dinnae ‘ave a choice.” he laughed.

Alan fiddled with the hem of his glove, nervous about the idea of William and Eric leaving without any sort of backup. “The Undertaker can be unpredictable and we haven’t any clue what this Ruvik fellow can do. I know your minds are already made it up, but please, to ease my mine, can the two of you promise me you won’t engage other of them. I know you said you wouldn’t, but I want a promise.”

Eric left off William to take Alan’s hands into his own and bring them up to kiss the back of each. “Ye ‘ave me promise, love. I will no’ figh’ unless it’s absolutely needed.”

Alan flushed, uncomfortable with these sorts of displays in front of others. “…good.” he muttered, averting his eyes to the floor.

Eric loved the flush on Alan’s cheeks and leant in to kiss one of them making him turn even rosier. _‘Love’_ Sebastian thought, feeling the envy rear up again. He wanted that again, wanted it with the man that stood next to him but knew Joseph was not only taken but knew the younger man wouldn’t want to be with him after the shit he put Joseph through. He understood that and resigned himself to being alone for the rest of what life he had but that still didn’t shove away the green eyed monster. “Then it’s settled.” William said. “Come Slingby. We best go now and get this done as quick as we can.”

“What about your position?” Ronald asked. “Eric’s goin’ with y’, so who’s gonna work for y’?”

William landed his eyes on Alan. “I’d hate to ask so much of you, but would you be willing to keep things under some semblance of control while we’re gone?”

“Yes sir.” he smiled.

“Thank you. You do not to stay here, just make sure any important papers that come through are signed before you go of to your reaping’s.”

“Will do sir.”

Eric gave Alan one last kiss, before grabbing William’s wrist. “We’ll see ye lads later then.” William nodded his agreement then ported them away and the office went silent.

Alan looked at the desk then took a deep breath. “Well…there isn’t much for you two to do here.” he said to the mortals. “Why don’t you go back to Eric’s and my flat and rest there?”

“You sure you won’t need us?” Joseph asked.

“I’m sure.” he smiled.

Sebastian gave a quick wave, Joseph returning the smile before they left the office and ignored the eyes that followed them out of the office building. “This is still surreal to me.” he said to Sebastian, looking at Lily’s record as they walked back to the flat. “I feel like this is a horrible dream I haven’t woken up from yet.”

“No kidding. Reapers, demons…” he glanced at the book Joseph held. “Lily’s memories.”

“This especially.” he opened the front door for them. “Lily…”

“Joseph,” Sebastian began, closing the door. “What did Myra look like when she set the house on fire. Did she show any remorse?”

Joseph set the record on the coffee table, biting the inside of his cheek. “I could lie to you and tell you she did, but honestly Seb, no, she didn’t. She just had a blank face and her eyes didn’t show anything from what…Lily saw.”

Sebastian leant against the wall, letting his arms hang limp. “Then I have to ask. Do you think all the good times we had were just her acting?”

“I…I don’t know.” he peeled off his gloves, dropping them next to the record. “I really don’t Seb. To me, it all looked genuine but…to just turn on a dime like that, especially when it involves your daughter…I can’t help think it must have been an act.”

Sebastian’s hand clenched into tight fists. “Bitch.”

“Sebastian.”

“What? Nothing comes between my flesh and blood. Not even my _wife_.” he sneered then looked at his hand, focusing on the ring. “I kept wearing this because I hoped to find her one day but now, this is just a piece of fucking junk.” he fiddled with the ring before pulling it off. “When we find her, I’m throwing her in prison and divorcing her.”

Joseph watched him drop the ring onto the end table by the couch. “You’re serious?”

“Do you want to be married to someone that killed your daughter?”

“It’s just…you were so torn up about losing her.”

“Yeah and now I’m pissed.” he ran his fingers through his hair. “Eric made a point when we talked. He said that Lily would want me to live for her and to make her happy would mean putting Myra behind bars and I’ll feel a hell of a lot better with Lily’s murderer locked away.”

Joseph knew that’d make him feel a hell of a lot better as well, thus he said to Sebastian, “You know you have my help.”

Sebastian reached out and squeeze the younger mans bicep. “I know I do and we have Grim Reapers helping us. Soon enough, we’ll be able to end this all, for good.”

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

“Huh, nice place.” Eric commented with his hands on his hips, admiring the living room he stood in.

“I was surprised as well. I hadn’t expected to be given such a nice apartment for temporary living.” William said as he made up the couch for Eric, using spare blankets and a pillow he found in the closet.

“How long ye think we’ll be stayin’ ‘ere?”

“No longer then a week, hopefully less.” he fluffed the pillow then stepped back. “You’ll be sleeping there.”

“Really? Would ne’er o’ guessed.”

William rolled his eyes at Eric’s sarcasm. “Anyhow, do you want anything to eat?

“Wha’ do ye ‘ave?” Eric asked, following William to the kitchen.

William opened the fridge, scanning what little was inside. “…not much.”

Eric looked over his shoulder. “This is all fine an’ dandy fer ye since ye eat like a damn bird, bu’ I need more sustenance then tha’.”

William glanced at Eric. “I’m sure you can live off this for now. It’s not like your starving or anything.”

“I will with a fridge like tha’.”

William plucked an apple from the shelf and spun around to shove it into Eric’s gut. “Eat this and be quiet.”

Grunting, Eric caught the apple. “Thanks Spears.” he shined the apple on the arm of his jacket before taking a bite. “Righ’,” he began after swallowing. “Wha’ do ye plan tae do ‘ere?”

“First thing tomorrow, I’m going to see about getting a death list then we’re going to go about making sure Oda and his partner aren’t fired.”

“An’ ye plan tae do tha’ how?”

William thought, closing the fridge and returning to the living room, plopping down on the couch. “I haven’t thought of anything yet.”

“Well, maybe we could tell the man tha’ ‘is detectives are over seas on business?” Eric suggested, sitting next to him. “They ‘ad a lead an’ went tae follow it since the lead just flew over to London ‘r some shit.”

“That could work. He has met me before.” he rubbed his hands together. “We’ll see how that goes.”

Eric took another bite of his apple. “Sae, ‘ow’d the bored meetin’ go?”

“Better thenI thought it would honestly. I was expecting to have my scythe revoked but thankfully they showed mercy and allowed me to prove my story.”

“Guess tha’s why it’s good tae be on their good side.”

William nodded. “To be frank, I was under the impression the Bored wasn’t impressed with me considering I’m one of their younger District Managers.”

Eric smirked. “Aye, ye were still green when I was teachin’ ye after the Undertaker went haywire.”

“You’ve never met the Undertaker, have you?”

“No. Transferred a few months after ‘e lost it.”

William leant back into the couch cushions. “Do you miss working with the Glasgow branch?”

Eric twisted his apple as he thought then bit into it again. “Some days bu’ ‘m more ‘appy ‘ere then I was there. Besides, I got tae meet Alan ‘ere.”

“Yes, your soul mate.”

Eric paused at that. Not once had he ever considered Alan his soul mate. Yes, he loved Alan, sometimes he thought he loved Alan more then his late wife, but soul mate? That made him uneasy for some reason. “I dunno ‘bout tha’ Spears.”

“Why not?”

“It jus’…doesnnae sit righ’ with me.”

“The two of you seemed to literally be made for one another.” he then recalled Eric’s past. “Is it because of your wife?”

Eric shifted. “Maybe. It jus’ brings back the vows we said. Ye are blood o’ me blood an’ bone o’ me bone. I give ye my body, tha’ we two migh’ be one. I…I give ye me spirit, ’til our life be done.” he repeated the last line in his head. “Maybe tha’s why I dun like tae think o’ Alan as me soul mate. I feel like me soul still belongs tae me wife even if she’s dead. Technically, ‘m still alive an’ _our_ life isnae done. Her’s is bu’ mine isn’t. I dun feel like ‘m cheatin’ on ‘er ‘r anthin’ like tha’, bu’…she was me soul mate an’ I dun feel righ’ replacin’ ‘er.”

William blinked. “I apologize. I hadn’t meant-”

“No, no. It’s fine. I still love Alan an’ sometimes I think I do more then ‘er bu’ she still holds ‘soul mate’ in my heart.”

William nodded. “Understandable.” he sighed. “I wish I had something like that, a love like you and Alan or like you and your wife.”

“Ye dun love Oda?”

“I feel…something for him.” he admitted softly. “But love is too far of a stretch. Besides, I see how Castellanos stares at him and how Oda stares in return. If anything, I believe I’m just a temporary lover to see him through lonely times.” he shrugged then stretched. “But, enough of this. It’s time to rest and tomorrow we’ll begin all we need to.”

“Aye…” Eric said, watching William get up. The man was out of his sight within seconds and he dressed down to just his trousers before laying down and getting as comfortable as he could; closing his eyes to try for a goodnights sleep.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

As the night quickly passed in Krimson, the day quickly passed in London. Alan had finally returned home to the flat with heavy feet and eyelids. He was a little peckish but all he really wanted was his warm bed. Mentally, he didn’t have an issue with doing the paperwork William had told him to do on top of his own paperwork and reaping’s but physically, his body protested at every move he made. He just kept reminding himself he was doing this for his superior, who dealt with this physical and mental strain daily.

He hardly took note of his guests missing as he slugged toward the bedroom. As quickly as his body allowed, he dressed down and into his pyjamas and crawled into bed, burying under the blankets. He let his heavy eyelids close and just as he was about to drift into a much needed rest, he heard a knock at his door. Refraining from groaning, he forced his tired body to sit up. “Come in.”

To his surprise, Sebastian entered with a cup of tea. “You look tired.”

“Very.” Alan admitted, watching as Sebastian rounded the bed.

“Well, here.” he said, handing Alan the cup.

Alan blinked a few times, both from amazement and blurry vision without his glasses before he took the cup with a tired, but grateful, smile. “Thank you.”

“Figured you’d want some.” he sat on the edge of the bed by Alan’s hips. “How is it?”

Alan took the first sip and registered the flavour on his tongue before swallowing. “Wonderful, thank you.” he sighed happily. “I really needed this.”

“Yeah.”

As Alan took another sip, he studied Sebastian then said, “Something tells me you didn’t just come in to give me tea. Is there something else on your mind? Well, beside the obvious.”

Sebastian had been staring at the thorn markings he could see clearly with the part in Alan’s nightshirt and he found himself staring long enough for Alan to shift and try to close his shirt up more which made Sebastian jump back and rub the back of his head awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“I-I know. I don’t blame you for staring. Many do when they see them.” he took another sip. “Anyway, yes. Anything else on your mind?”

He sighed. “A lot of things and I don’t know why I think I can talk to you, but I need to talk to someone who isn’t Joseph.”

“Because it’s partly about him?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, why don’t you close the door so we’re not overheard?” Sebastian looked at the open doorway and decided that’d be best, closing the door before returning to Alan and sitting more on the bed with one leg bent up on the mattress but he looked tongue tied. “Well? I know I look younger then you but in reality, I’ve lived _far_ longer then you have. Three hundred and ninety four years longer then you to be exact.”

“Shit.” he gaped. “I forget you reapers have lived for centuries.”

“Centuries and longer.”

Sebastian felt a little better about that, talking to someone who had a lot of…life? experience. “Alright.” he took a deep breath. “I haven’t ben with anyone since Myra, for good reason since everyone I considered friends, I pushed away, even tried to do that with Joseph, but the stubborn son of a bitch kept around for some reason and I’ve been a dick to him even though he’s the only one that stayed by my side. I’m still partly bitter about the AI shit, but I’ve put that as far behind as I can and throughout all of STEM, I was closer to him then I had ever been.”

Alan listened intently as he drank his tea. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Love him.”

He smiled around the rim of his cup. “How hard was that for you to admit?”

“Hard.”

“Really?”

“How the fuck can I trust anyone anymore after Myra left and killed Lily? It’s hard to admit that when I’ve been betrayed like she shoved a fucking dagger through my heart.”

“That is true.” Alan agreed, holding the cup in his lap. “But if I were you, I’d give it a chance. Joseph, after all, hasn’t left your side, like you said. He’s been true to you. If Eric and I were in your position, I’d at least know I had him to count on for almost everything.”

“What about your boss? Joseph’s dating him and I’m not gonna be the second bitch for Joseph to cheat with.”

Alan frowned a bit before taking another sip. “I don’t think it’ll last long. As much as I think William needs someone to keep him grounded, he’s a hard man to break and despite how long Joseph and William may have been together, I bet Joseph hasn’t even cracked the shell yet.”

“They had sex.” he said as if to prove a point.

“And?” Alan asked with a quirked eyebrow. “That’s sex. A lot of people have sex and a lot of the time, it means nothing. I know there are nights were Eric and I just have sex but then there are the special nights where we make love. Do you really think their sex is anything more then just that?”

“…well, no. I guess not.”

“Then? No offence to Joseph, but it’d take a lot more then sex to break William’s shell and I doubt Joseph is going to be that person, especially when he’s mortal. I’d hate for William to have to go through heart break when Joseph inevitably dies.”

Sebastian nodded then flopped down to lay on his back. “So what the fuck do I do?”

“Wait.”

Sebastian looked at him. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.” he rested his hand on Sebastian’s. “It’ll work out, I promise.” he squeezed gently. “Now, why don’t you go rest?”

Sebastian heaved a breath, pushing himself back up. “I will.”

As he walked to the door, Alan said, “Thank you again for the tea.”

Sebastian looked over his shoulder as he opened the door. “You’re welcome.” he stepped out, closing the door behind him. All he had to do was wait. As much as of a struggle as it would be, he could wait. If it meant finally having someone again, he _would_ wait.


	14. Chapter 14

“Back, are you Mr. Spears?”

William knew he must have been a nuisance to this man by now, leaving behind his station when he offered to help, asking for permission to enter their records room and now returning for another request. “I know and I apologize for coming and going as I do, but, I require a death list.”

“Oh? Actually going to help like you offered to do?”

“Unfortunately, I will not be using it for reaping.”

Horne gave him a look then rested his arms on the desk, folding this hands together, curious why a reaper would need a death list if they did not intend to reap. “Why the hell do you need it then?”

William glanced back at Eric who was leant against the wall next to the door, more intrigued with the pictures on the wall then their conversation. “Honestly, I’m sure you will have a hard time believing me as the Bored did.”

“Yes, the Bored. I’m sorry for having to report you but-”

“I understand. It’s the managers duty to report anything illegal.”

Horne nodded then gesture for William to continue speaking. “Tell me what you told them.” William gave his explanation again, seeing the flittering scepticism in his eyes before he closed them when William finished, rubbing at his temple. “You London reapers are strange.” but he did turn his attention to the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a death list, handing it off to William.

“I’m well aware of the reputation my district has.” he bowed. “Thank you.”

Horne waved his hand then went back to his paperwork, a sign for them to leave which they did. “I dinnae think Horne would believe ye.” Eric said, closing the door behind him.

“I doubt he does fully.” William stated, looking over the death list. “But I cannot blame him. I would call bull on a story like this as well if I had not seen the dolls with my own eyes.”

“Aye, cannae blame them.” he peered over William’s shoulder at the death list. “Sae, now wha’?”

“We go to make sure Oda and Castellanos keep their jobs.”

“Righ’, lead the way then.” Porting from the Krimson Dispatch, they appeared in an alley close enough to walk into the KCPD. Again, William felt as he did before, the eyes on him as he appeared without a police escort and instead with a man who looked like he was on one of their watch lists but that also meant the eyes found Eric more interesting then himself. Weather it was admiration or curiosity, William couldn’t tell nor did he care as long as Eric kept their attention more then he did. Glancing up at the Scotsman, he found the blonde to be unbothered by their eyes, not that he was surprised. Eric was used to being looked at either with scrutiny or flirtation. “Sae, wha’ are we, exactly?” Eric whispered to him.

William adjusted his glasses, holding the death list under his free arm. “They had called me their informant the last time I was here thus we’ll continue with that.”

Eric nodded, about to ask another question when he met the Chief with frustration in his human eyes and anger as his expression he stormed up to them. “You.” he sneered. “Where the hell are my detectives?”

“They’re away on an investigation.” William answered. “In London.”

“London?!” he roared. “What the hell are they doing there?”

“There’s still some mystery surrounding the dagger and they found it came from a craftsman in London.”

“And why wasn’t I informed?”  
Eric scoffed. “Do they need tae inform ye on _everythin’_ they do?” he asked, the bored look he had in Horne’s office carrying over.

The Chief glared at Eric, sizing him up. “Who the hell are you?”

“Spears’s friend.”

“They do.” he nearly growled. “I am their boss and I need to know where all my forces are in case they’re needed for an important case. I can’t have them travelling across the globe without my permission.”

Eric chuckled. “Do ye ‘ave any idea about ‘ow much o’ a mum ye sound like righ’ now?”

“Excuse me?” his face grew redder in rage before William spoke up.

“Please, ignore Eric.” he stepped in. “He’s rather outspoken and knows not when to close his mouth.” Eric shrugged then walked off to stand near the entrance, catching the attention of a young man. “Anyhow, yes and they had sent me to relay the message to you.”

The Chief obviously didn’t like this fact but with nothing he could do, he gave William a warning. “When you go back home, get them to contact me immediately. If they don’t within eight hours, they’re fired.”

William nodded. “Understood.”

“Good.” with an annoyed grunt, the Chief turned his back on William. “You’d better get going, Spears.”

The Chief left, William waiting for him to be out of sight in his office before turning around to find Eric. When his eyes did settle on the blonde reaper, he was enduring the flirtation of a young man, mid twenties really, in a cop uniform. Eric didn’t look interested, easily brushing off any flirtatious touches but the young cop didn’t seem to take a hint. William knew if Alan were to see this, the brunette would certainly make it known Eric wasn’t looking. “We done Spears?” Eric asked when William approached, cutting off the young cops speech.

“We are.”

“Great.” he hooked his arm around William’s, pulling William into his side as if he were Alan. “Let’s get lunch then.”

William eyed their arms then locked them with Eric’s. “Lunch?”

“Aye. I said I’d treat ye tae lunch this afternoon, didn’t I love?”

The young cop straightened, cheeks flaring red. “S-Sorry! I didn’t know he was taken.” 

“’s alrigh’ lad.” he pecked William’s cheek. “Now, c’mon love.”

William allowed Eric to take the lead, nearly being dragged from the station, only stopping when they were a good block away. “What was that?” he asked, unlinking their arms and staring at him.

“Well, Alan wasn’t around an’ I wasn’t about tae shut ‘im down like I usually do.” he shrugged, slipping this hands into his jacket pockets. “Felt sorry fer the lad. ‘e dinnae know anythin’ about flirtin’ an’ kinda reminded me o’ when Ronnie was green in tha’ field.”

William rolled his eyes, his expression changing to that of his normal cold facade. “I see.”

“Bu’ I was serious about lunch. Yer fridge did nothin’ tae satisfy me.”

William looked down at the list under his arm. “I…suppose it wouldn’t do to look into this on an empty stomach.”

Eric snorted. “Tha’ comin’ from ye?”

“Simply because I eat small-”

“ _Tiny_.”

William rolled his eyes. “Because I eat tiny portions, doesn’t mean I can’t get famished every now and then.” he folded with the coins he had in his pocket, the american currency left over from his time spent before any of this had happened. “I do have a few dollars to spare.”

“Great! Sae let’s find some place tae eat then.” William allowed Eric to take the lead as he summoned the camera the Bored had given him. Despite the new age technology, the camera he was given was an old instant camera. He was unsure why it had to be this specific one, knowing the Bored was fully aware of the advances with time as they had fully functional electrical streetlights and paved roads when people were still using horse and carriage. He supposed that was one plus to being a reaper. He was able to experience the modern pleasures many centuries ahead of mortals.

Eric had chosen a bar and grill, leading the way inside to find the place decently crowded but empty enough for them to be allowed to choose their own table which, for William, Eric chose closest the windows and furthest from people, both allowing the mortals to see them. “Righ’, let’s see tha’ list.”

William set the camera down and handed Eric what he wanted. “We’re waiting for a mass killing in a condensed area to ensue.”

“I dun see tha’ yet.” he flipped a few of the pages. “Weather tha’s good ‘r bad, there’s nothin’ ‘ere yet.”

“For now, that’s good. We aren’t in a position to follow up on it. When we return to the apartment, I’ll be sure to have the death list on full view at all times.”

“Grand idea.”

When a waitress came to give them their menus and questioned them for drinks, Eric ordered a beer from the tap while William simply requested water. “Wha’ about the Undertaker? Ye think ‘e woulda thought about us usin’ this death list tae find ‘em?”

“I’m not sure. He seemed to have planned ahead before. I’m not sure if he’d consider this.”

Eric nodded, closing the list and setting it next to the camera. “Wha’ about tha’ Ruvik fella?”

“I’m unsure of that as well. From what they’ve said, he’s another force to reckon with but, then I remember, he’s only a mortal.”

“With the help of a Death God.” Eric reminded.

“Ah, good point.”

They continued to chat all the while William had a strange chill run up his back.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

Following Alan around during his reaping was a choice Sebastian made in order to keep from being alone with Joseph. With Alan in the home with them, it wasn’t so bad, but alone, he had the urge to spill his emotions to Joseph and knew he’d be rejected for them for one reason or another.

Of course, he had to get use to porting but after a few times, he was able to get used to enough where he only felt slight nausea and very little dizziness. “How did you deal with having to reap someone for the first time?” he asked as Alan knelt at the body of an elderly woman, reading her memories he couldn’t see.

“Horribly.” Alan replied with a solemn tone. “And as you saw, I paid for not learning to school my emotions sooner.” he glanced over his shoulder. “What about you? How are you fairing after yesterday?”

Sebastian closed his eyes. “I don’t know. My mind keeps telling me it’s true, that Myra killed Lily, set fire to the house but my heart…believes it’s a lie you’re all tellin’ me.” he laughed dryly. “And that’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever said.”

“But it’s happened to everyone.” Alan said. “Our mind and our heart don’t agree with everything.” he collected the soul into his scythe. “But I’m not going to say much else about that, being a reaper and all.” he frowned down at the woman, having died of a heart attack while walking home to buy ingredients she needed from the market. “Well, anyway. That should be-” he froze, sensing a creature that came for a meal.

“Be what?”

He was never answered when a voice behind him caused him to spin around. He saw a demon, however, this one looked bigger compared to the human sized ones he faced before. “You’re late.” Alan said. “Your meal has been taken.”

The demon waved his hand, stepping forward. “That may be so,” the demon began in the same silky voice that caught Sebastian’s attention, “there is another one right before me.”

Alan stepped in front of Sebastian, his scythe guarding them both. “You will not have him.” Alan charged at the demon that towered over the smaller reaper. To try and help, Sebastian unholstered Joseph’s gun they now shared between them and fired the few rounds in the gun at the demon, successfully hitting it two of the three times in its chest and head while Alan did the rest.

The reaper was able to prove his strength even if he looked like nothing compared to this demon. Sebastian was impressed as was the demon. “For a reaper with a sick soul, you fight well.” the creature wheezed, the bullet wounds left by Sebastian causing discomfort.

“I will not let my sickness get in my way.”

The demon grinned, fangs showing with the action. “How I wish to tear into your body and sink my teeth into your flesh.” his eyes flicked to Sebastian. “And devour his soul as a wonderful dessert.” 

“You will do neither.”

“And what makes you so certain, sickling?”

Alan’s grip tightened on his scythe, impulse rather then thought took over as he attacked the demon again. Action driven by pure anger, Alan was unaware how much more he was pushing his body until he pushed it beyond his limits. The painfully familiar feeling of a spike in his chest quickly grew as it felt like knives were tearing him from the inside out. His scythe dropped from his hands and he hunched over, gasping. The demon, uncaring of the reapers pain, backhanded Alan with the force to slam him to the ground. A pained cry expelled from his mouth, more so from the thorns then the cracking of his back.

Sebastian was amazed at the quick turn of events as Alan’s body convulsed, his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip to keep from shouting again. This must of been the illness Alan had said he contracted and he saw the demon ready to end the reaper. Hardly thinking, Sebastian tackled the demon.

Being taller and bigger then Alan was, he was able to take the demon down but only ended up thrown off and into a trunk of a tree. It hurt, a lot, but at least the demon was focused on him now. “You wish to be devoured first?” the demon snarled, stalking closer. Sebastian wheezed between clenched teeth, glaring at the demon that came closer. 

When the demon launched at him, he threw himself out of the way, ducking and rolling toward Alan’s scythe which he snatched up then shoved himself to his feet. With the weapon in his hand, the demon, the scythe and the environment all turned to his memories of STEM. The demon now a powerful Haunted, the scythe one of those hand axes he often found and the environment changing to the dilapidated village with other Haunted shuffling around. Except this time, he had no gun and his partner was behind him having something equal to a heart attack.

_He dodged the Haunted, quickly throwing himself to the side then spinning around to block the knife that would have lodged itself in his forehead. Using his axe, he shoved the Haunted back, this time he was the one to lunge forward, slicing up with his axe and cutting a deep gash across the Haunted’s chest but it came with a price as the Haunted brought its knife down at the same time, cutting across his shoulder._

_Unaware of how long this fight took place, Sebastian finally ended it when he was able to dash behind the Haunted and lob its head off; a clean cut, the head falling from the Haunted’s shoulders and body quick to follow, crumbling to the ground._ With that, his memories and reality stopped blending and he saw the body of the demon with blood spurting from where he cleanly sliced off its head.

Panting hard, he scarcely believed any of that had happened and when he saw the blade of the scythe dripping with blood, he threw the weapon down, not wanting anymore memories. Instead, he quickly turned his attention to Alan, kneeling down next to him as Alan’s body calmed somewhat. His hands still gripping over his heart and his body still convulsed, but he was breathing, even if was laboured and heavy. “What can I do?” he asked, grabbing Alan’s hands and assuring the reaper he was there with a squeeze. Alan only whimpered Eric’s name.

Knowing this was something he did with Lily whenever she injured herself playing outside by scraping her knees or falling off her bike when trying to learn to ride without training wheels, he eased his arms under Alan’s body and shifted to sit cross legged as he lifted the reaper into his lap, cradling him. One of the reaper’s hands reached out to grip to Sebastian’s shirt, with his suit still being Eric’s, the older reapers cologne still clung to the clothing and Alan appreciated the scent, pretending this was Eric holding him.

His breathing slowly began to even out and the twitching slowly stopped until he lay limp in Sebastian’s arms, his hand still meekly grasping Sebastian’s shirt. His eyelids were drooping; all he wanted now, was just to rest and not wake until morn. “You okay?” Sebastian quietly asked.

Alan found his voice after swallowing a few times, though it was weak. “Sore…tired.”

“Sleep then. I got you.”

Alan slowly blinked up at him. “But…you cannot get back to the realm…”

“You’re not in any state to get us there.” Alan didn’t have the energy to argue. His eyelids finally closed and he passed out.

Sebastian continued to sit there, keeping his eyes trained on Alan’s sleeping face rather then the beheaded body that lay a few steps away. He felt bad for the reaper in his arms, knowing, as Alan said, one of these attacks would kill him but from what Sebastian saw, Alan didn’t deserve the death that was coming, then again, did he deserve to be taken away from his daughter and betrayed by his wife? No. He didn’t.

Eventually, he heard a familiar voice and sure enough, when he looked up, he saw one of the younger blondes walking toward him, lawnmower scythe slung over his shoulder. When he did notice Alan as he got closer, he dropped his scythe and rushed over, dropping to his knees. “Alan-senpai!” he placed his hand to Alan’s chest, relieved when he felt a weak heart beat. “Shit, what happened?”

“Had one of those attacks.”

Ronald's lips twitched into a frown, his fingers brushing away strands of hair from Alan’s face. “Shit Al.” he carefully eased Alan from Sebastian’s arms. “What’d he do t’ get one?” Sebastian used his head, gesturing to the body. Ronald winced, standing and returning his gaze to Alan. “He knows not t’ strain himself.”

“He was doing okay until the demon called him a ‘sickling’.” Sebastian said, standing as well.

Ronald said nothing, only frowning more before getting off the subject. “I dunno if I can port you with us.” he said, knowing if William passed out porting two mortals, he was probably too weak to port even one. Then again, Alan was able to port with Sebastian and, he hated to say it, Alan was weaker then him.

Sebastian shrugged. “I can wait here.”

“Not a good idea.” Ronald disagreed. “Demons like huntin’ around here as y’ saw.” he eyed Sebastian up and down. “And with your blood from your wounds, you’re gonna attract more.” he debated with himself before saying, “Put your hand on my shoulder and let’s try this.” Sebastian obeyed, setting this hand on Ronald’s shoulder and liked so many times before, was whipped through the realms and ended up in the infirmary of the office. “Did it.” Ronald cheered quietly to himself but the smile quickly fell away when he quickly remembered Alan. “I’m gonna get him help. Why don’t y’ take a seat and a doc’ll come by t’ help y’ soon.”

“I’m coming.”

Ronald blinked, pausing mid-step. “Why?”

“I wanna make sure he’s okay.”

Ronald shifted. “Eric-senpai wouldn’t like y’ hangin’ around Alan-senpai like that.” he cussed. “Shite, Eric’s gonna freak when he hears Alan had an attack and he wasn’t here.” he bit his lip then eyed Sebastian again. “I…guess y’ can keep him company since Eric’s not around.”

Sebastian followed without another word watching as Ronald easily got the attention of a doctor and set Alan on a free bed. He was soon looked after, his wounds cleaned, stitched and bandaged while Alan was tended to. There wasn’t much they could do to help Alan other then give him some painkillers thus Sebastian remained there as Ronald went to inform Eric of Alan’s state which he didn’t take well.

William heard Eric’s outburst of the news and as he exited the kitchen to see what had Eric so furious, he ducked as the phone was thrown at him and hit the back wall, the screen shattering and the entire phone bending with the force of the impact. “What’s the issue?” William questioned, picking up the phone and throwing it in the bin.

“Alan had a goddamn attack an’ I wasn’t there fer ‘im.” he spat, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

William frowned. “How bad?”

“…dunno. Ron dinnae say, bu’ I dun care. I wasn’t there tae help him.”

“Eric calm yourself. I know how frustrating that might be, but we’re here for a reason and I’m sure Alan is well taken care of.”

“Aye…Ron did say Sebastian was lookin’ after ‘im.” he crossed his arms, sneering. “I better no’ see ‘im try tae steal Alan from me, the bastard.”

“I highly doubt that.” William assured, focusing thought on the death list he held. “His attention is on Oda alone.”

“Good.” he grumbled.

William rolled his eyes though he admired how easily jealous Eric could get over Alan and vice versa. “Anyhow,” he began, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. “There hasn’t been any mass death yet.”

“Great.” it took a great deal to pull his mind off Alan, but he did. “What now?”

“We continue to wait.”

“Even better.” he removed his glasses to rub at his face. “You got a beer ‘r somethin'? I need a drink.”

William looked at him. “You know that answer.”

Eric groaned. “Right.” he muttered, setting his glasses back on his nose.

“Though, I do have tea.”

“Yeah, I guess tea’ll have tae do.” Eric fell to the couch as William went to make the tea.

It had started raining, the drops pelting against the window. He didn’t mind the rain, in fact, he rather loved rainy weather, especially if there was a wind to go along with it. Despite the fears he had as a child, now, it just soothed him, that is, until lightning flashed.

He jumped to his feet, swearing he saw the Undertaker standing outside the window and when lightning flashed again, he saw he was right. With little care or thought of telling William he bolted to the window and threw it open. He saw the Undertaker bounding away across roofs and he jumped onto the windowsill before following the legendary reaper but he did ponder why the Undertaker was running. Surely, he could have easily ported to his destination and both avoid getting wet and being…followed.

He cussed as the moment he landed on the roof of a tall office building, he was kicked in the back of his knees and forced to the ground, rolling out of the way of the traditional scythe that would have sliced him in half. “Fuck.” he breathed, trapped on his back with the Undertaker standing over him, a merciless smile on his pale face though Eric was more concerned about the scythe the Undertaker had. It was the scythe that was always depicted with Grim Reapers in books, the handle made of bone and skulls holding the blade in place. “Heh, gotta say, ’s nice tae meet ye.”

The ancients grin grew. “Yes, yes. Hi, hi.” he brought the upper arch of his scythe under Eric’s jaw and used it to tilt Eric’s chin back. “Oh! I thought you were losin’ you’re mind but we _haven’t_ met before! Well, what’s your name chap?”

“Eric Slingby.” he answered with some strain with his neck bent as far back as it could go to avoid the blade.

Undertaker had to think a minute. “Ah! Of course, I’ve heard of you! You’re the reaper that caused a ruckus.” he hummed thoughtfully, retracting his scythe enough to give Eric an easier time speaking. “The Thousand Soul ruckus. Yes, I heard you were going to try that cure.”

“…aye.” he could feel the blade at his Adam’s apple every time he swallowed or spoke.

“Why bother?” he asked. “You wanted to save your ‘lover’ didn’t you? What was his name? Alan…something?”

“Humphries.”

“Yes, Alan Humphries.” he shook his head in mock sympathy. “A pity a reaper has to fall to such an illness, but, it twas his own fault.” he shrugged. “Compassion kills the dead as he found out.”

Eric snarled. “Alan dinnae deserve the thorns! The woman wasn’t meant tae die!”

“Then why was she on the death list? Obviously, you’ve forgotten what a reaper is, chap.”

“‘e…’e jus’ wanted tae give ‘er a bit more time.”

Undertaker laughed. “What did I say? Compassion kills the dead. He was compassionate for her soul and now he’s dying. Poor lad. Wasn’t fit to live, isn’t fit for death.” Eric knew this was meant to get under his skin, but that damned cocky grin the legendary wore was enough for him to snap and summoned his scythe, while kicking the Undertaker back. He promised Alan he wouldn’t fight, but the son of a bitch hit all the wrong buttons.

Of course, even though he was a grand fighter in his own right, he was still no match for the Undertaker. In a matter of moments, he was on his back again, scythe tossed far away from him. “Tsk, tsk. You’re a brash young man, aren’t ya?” he laughed, scythe again at Eric’s neck. “Now, I’m sorry lad. I don’t like killing reapers, but you’re going to end up in my way later on, so best to deal with ya now.”

The scythe missed its mark when Undertaker was tackled. Eric had seized up, believing he was about to die then shot his attention to William struggling to hold the ancient down. His scythe was keeping the Undertaker’s arm with his scythe, pinned his other hand pinning Undertaker’s other arm. “Well, hello lamb.” the reaper grinned. “Haven’t seen you in years.”

“I wish this was under better circumstances.”

“As much as I wish I could say the same, I can’t. I rather like running into you in these heated moments. Makes it far less dull then just simple chit-chat.”

“We’ll have time to ‘chat’ when you’re behind bars. Slingby, help me.”

Eric knelt down, taking Undertaker’s hands from William so the man could tie them up but age wasn’t a factor in Undertaker’s strength as he, effortlessly, threw Eric from him and was on his feet before William could blink. “Didn’t keep me locked up for long last time, won’t lock me up this time.” he snatched William around his throat and lifted him up, his teeth showing with the insane grin, William able to see his venomous eyes behind those long bangs; the chill he felt at the bar retuning with full force. “Now, shall I cut your head off since you didn’t use it today?” he thought aloud, summoning his scythe back in to his hand. “Of should I get ya to tell me where your mortal friends ran off to?”

“N-Neither.” William choked out as the grip around his throat tightened, his hands scraping at Undertaker’s trying to force the ancient to drop him.

“No? Are you sure? Then maybe I should just read your record and save you the hassle.”

He hummed, holding William higher, the younger reaper showing his green with how badly he struggled and pulled. “I was expecting more form you, William. A lot more.” he gave a disappointed frown that struck William’s heart. “Seems I didn’t train you well enough,” he then said over to Eric who lay unconscious after hitting his head. “and you other teacher didn’t do any better.” he shook his head disapprovingly. “Oh well. I have a new protégé.”

“R-Ruvik, yes? T-That’s his name?”

“Yes, correct.” his smile was back. “We’re getting along splendidly.”

“W-What do you two p-plan to d-do?”

Undertaker shook his head. “You know I require a good laugh to give out information.” he snickered. “But how you and blondie over there performed moments ago, could satisfy me for a few months.”

“T-Then?”

“Now, now. I never said I’d tell.” he lifted William as high as he could reach as well as tightening his grip. “Hm, I don’t know if I should kill you or leave you.”

“Put…the lad down.”

Undertaker glanced in Eric’s direction, the blonde staggering to his feet. “Should I?”

“Yes…put ‘im down.”

Without care, he dropped William. “Well, this has been fun chaps, but I’ve got things to do. Was refreshing to stretch these old bones though.”

Eric didn’t bother chasing Undertaker as he knelt to William. “Ye alrigh’?”

“F-Fine.” he coughed, rubbing his throat. “You blundering idiot! Why did you go after him? You tell me you didn’t wish for I t-to face the Undertaker alone yet you chase after h-him!”

Eric winced. “I…dinnae mean tae fight ‘im. I thought I could jus’ follow ‘im tae wherever the hell ‘e was goin’.”

William swallowed, closing his eyes. “…how’s your h-head?” he coughed into his glove, the rain having soaked the both of them through.

“Fine. Nothin’ tae damage anyway.”

“Obviously.” he took up his scythe. “Come. I have a f-feeling the list will be popping up with that m-mass murder soon.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write due to massive writers block, but I was finally able to complete it and I hope my writers block is gone! Enjoy!

Sebastian hadn’t wanted to return ‘home’ just yet. He had wanted to stay with Alan until he woke up, to make sure he was going to make a full recovery but the nurse charged with looking after Alan told him that it normally took some time for Alan to wake up and Sebastian’s time would be best somewhere else; a nice way of telling him to leave.

The reapers ignored him as he returned to his temporary flat - his and Joseph’s presence all but forgotten under their workload - and when he walked inside, he expected to see Joseph on the couch or in the kitchen but after scouring the one story flat, he found Joseph to be nowhere. “Glasses?” he asked, standing in the living room; he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t get an answer, instead, he heard the cracking of a door and soon found a backdoor hidden away by a wall in the kitchen, blowing gently in the breeze, the hinges creaking with each gust.

Opening the door and stepping into the backyard, he found a well cared for garden with various flowers giving colour to the green of the lawn and dark soil. Well cared for almost sounded like an understatement for the quality of this garden. “Hey Seb. You and Alan done for the day?”

Joseph grabbed his attention from a bench pressed agains the wall of the flat, a book in his hand, looking up at him for his answer. “Well, it was cut short.” Sebastian replied, taking the empty spot next to Joseph.

“Why? Was it another demon?” Sebastian nodded, giving Joseph the full explanation causing Joseph to frown and close his book. “It was bad?”

“Bad enough.” he looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. “But fighting that demon reminded me of STEM. The scythe was the hatchets, the demon the Haunted…Alan was you.”

“Useless and dying on the ground?”

Sebastian shoved his shoulder. “No, not useless.”

Joseph grasped the top edge of the book. “That’s almost all I was, Seb.”

The older man pried one of his hands from the book and held it. “I thought we had this talk?” Joseph shrugged. “You weren’t useless, you _aren't_ useless.” he rested the forearm of his free hand on his knee, leaning forward on it. “You helped me more then you think you did.”

Again, Joseph shrugged, gently tugging his hand free. “I don’t feel like I did anything.”

“What about those giants? My head would have been crushed multiple times if you weren’t sniping them from that stone walkway.”

“I only got that sniper because I climbed a rusty old ladder that I’m surprised I didn’t fall when it broke. Besides, what about after that? That…dog thing trampled me and, again, I was uselessly on the ground.”

“That wasn’t your fault.” Sebastian tried to assure but Joseph fell silent, gripping the book again. The silence was only broken by the creaky hinges and the wind through the leaves of a few large oak trees scattered beyond the boundaries of the backyard, some leaves making their way over; one landing on Sebastian’s hand. He picked up the leaf by the stem, twisting it in his fingers as he remembered taking Lily out during one autumn to collect colourful leaves and press them in a book. He wished he still had that book.

When his eyes had enough of staring at the green, he startled himself finding no ring around his finger before remembering he removed it. Still, this brought up something he needed to discuss with his partner. “Joseph,” he began, admiring the nakedness of his finger, “I need you to do somethin’ for me.”

“Anything.”

He tore his eyes away, settling them back on Joseph. “When we meet Myra again, can you make sure I don’t fuck up.”

“How?”

“I hate her for all the shit she did, for murdering Lily, but I don’t know how I’ll react to her in person. If I do anything stupid, like forgive her for some fucking reason, slap me.”

Joseph smiled just a tad. “Alright.” he then trained his attention on the cuts in the suit from the demons claws, trailing his eyes up to Sebastian’s shoulders. “How are these?” he asked, carefully easing a hand on one.

“Fine. Better then fresh ones.” he pointed to the fresh cut on his right shoulder.

Joseph unconsciously bit his lip, leaning over to size up the wound. “It looks painful, especially when it ripped away scar tissue. Why didn’t they dress this one?”

“They said it’d be best for it to breathe before they wrapped it up.”

“Let me see them.” Joseph insisted, setting the book next to him as he stood. “I want to make sure they’re properly looked after.”

“Don’t worry Joseph. Professionals took care of them.” he said, waving away Joseph’s concern but Joseph shoved his hands onto his hips and gave him a stare that made him roll his eyes. “Fine.” he grumbled, obeying orders. He slid off the jacket and removed the dress shirt, flicking the tie over his shoulder, allowing Joseph to inspect the wounds. 

“I see why reapers hate demons.” he muttered, his expression becoming increasingly worried at each scar. “Let’s get you into a bath and wash these.”

“I can do that myself.”

Joseph rested his gloved palm over the fresh wound in his shoulder. “Can you take care of this on your own?”

Sebastian tried to glance at the wound but found it too far back. “Guess not.” he stood up. “Alright. I’ll let you take care of me.”

While Sebastian got the tub ready, Joseph took the book and returned it to its rightful place in the bookshelf. He then removed his gloves, tossing them onto the couch before entering the washroom with Sebastian sat in a half full tub. “Well, let’s unwrap these first of all.” Joseph announced, kneeling next to the tub. Slowly, he unwrapped each bandage, finding some of the wounds were healing nicely while others, looked quite angry. “Do they hurt?” he asked, taking a cloth from the washroom cupboard then wetting it.

“A bit. Not as bad as the shoulder wounds did.”

“Good, good.” he scrubbed at the drying blood that seeped from the wounds when the bandages had been removed. “These aren’t, however.”

“What? Did they get worse?”

“I don’t know how they looked before but they’re still bleeding.” gently, he ran the cloth over the wound in his arm. “Are you sure this doesn't hurt?”

“I’m sure.”

“Then what about your back?” he asked, finally noticing the bruise over it, similar to the one William had when he was slammed into the ground.

“Not now but it’s gonna be sore tomorrow no doubt.”

Joseph sighed inwardly, continuing to clean Sebastian’s wounds. He had no doubt that the medical staff knew what they were doing, but when was the last time they worked on someone who wasn’t a reaper? He guessed never.

He did his best to keep his attention on the task at hand rather then his partners bare body beneath his fingers. He knew it wasn’t the right time to ogle considering this was meant to be sure Sebastian’s wounds didn’t become infected and he was still coming to terms with Myra, but damn, was Sebastian good looking. Tanned, strong, well built, defined in all the right places with the right amount of body hair and scars from their many cases. The rough stubble over his strong jawline and chapped lips. He just wanted to abandon the cloth and use his hands but mentally smacked himself every time he nearly did. “Almost done?” Sebastian asked.

“Almost. I just want to make sure these quit bleeding.”

Sebastian waited patiently, watching his partner work on him until Joseph deemed him good enough to get out after he re-wrapped the wounds. “Thanks.”

Joseph nodded, standing up and retrieving a towel from the same cupboard. “You’re welcome.”

Taking the towel as he stood, Sebastian dried himself then wrapped the towel around his waist. When he bent to get dressed, he found himself stilling at the discarded suit. “As grateful as I am for the spare suit, I wish I had somethin’ else to put on.”

Joseph used shifting up his glasses as a cover to keep his staring eyes hidden from Sebastian. “I’m sure if we ask, Eric might be willing to lend you something else…if they have anything else.”

“If?”

“I don’t know if reapers have casual clothing. All William wore was his suit.”

“…we could always look.”

Joseph rapidly shook his head. “No! I’m not about to go snooping through their room!”

Sebastian waggled his finger. “It’s not snooping. We’re just gonna look in the closet then leave. That’s it.” with or without Joseph’s permission, he left the younger man in the washroom and walked the few steps to the closed bedroom door which opened with ease. To his surprise, the bed was unmade, the sheets tangled and partly falling off of, what Sebastian guessed, was Alan’s side of the bed.

Stepping in, he went right to the wardrobe, opening it. Inside, he was pleased to see a variety of outfits. It also made him grin at how easy it was to spot who wore what as the sized differed greatly for Alan to Eric; but what surprised him most as he passed each outfit, was what was shoved into the back of the wardrobe. The pin on the lapel of the old Victorian suit glinted in the light, catching his attention. For being so old, it was in rather good condition and found, when he pulled it from it’s neatly folded spot, was something weighed in the right pocket.

Hanging the suit over the foot of the bed, he reached into the pocket and pulled out a ring. It was dusty and old, but Sebastian could still appreciate how elegant this engagement ring was. It wasn’t anything special except for the diamond that was nestled at the top of the silver band. “Who’s is that?” Joseph asked, walking up to him after steeling his apprehension.

“I think it’s Eric’s. The suit’s too small for Alan.”

“The ring, I meant.”

“Oh.” he twisted the ring this way and that, the light catching the diamond making it shine. “I think it’s Eric’s too. Was in the suit pocket.”

Joseph gently plucked the ring from Sebastian’s fingers. “Are reapers even able to marry?”

“I don’t know.”

After admiring the ring as Sebastian had, Joseph returned it and Sebastian dropped it back into the same pocket he produced it from then tried to make it look like he had never touched the suit at all before stepping back and closing the wardrobe. “I’ll ask Eric about other clothes when he comes back or when Alan wakes up.” he said as they retreated to the living room, a chill sweeping over Sebastian as he was still damp and in a towel. “Shit. It’s cold in here.” he commented, dropping to the couch.

“Here.” Joseph said, using the blanket draped over the back of the couch to wrap around Sebastian, tucking him in as a mother would a child and Sebastian gave him a look. “What?”

“Now I feel stupid with just me under this thing.” he shifted, wiggling one arm free from the cocoon and wrapped it around Joseph’s waist, tugging the younger man against him then wrapping them both in the wool blanket. “There.”

Again, Joseph used his glasses as a distraction from where his eyes wanted to go, settling his head against Sebastian’s chest, deciding to just close his eyes.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

The smoke evaporated into the air, the flames chasing after the grey, flickering wildly as William could feel the heat from where he stood across the street on the neighbours roof, the flames reflecting in the lens of his glasses. Oda’s home, gone, soon to be nothing but charcoal and ash even as the firefighters desperately tried to put it out. Though they had yet to determine a cause of the fire, he knew it was the Undertaker’s work; watching the ancient reaper enter, moments after something exploded and flames engulfed the home. “Shit.” Eric commented beside him, scythe slung over his shoulder. “Oda’s gonna ‘ate hearin’ this.”

“Mm. A shame.” William replied with an oddly cold tone. “Now, we have much to do Slingby.”

Eric blinked, following William as he turned to walk off the other side of the roof. “Spears.” William paused, glancing over his shoulder. “Wha’ the hell?”

“Is something the matter?”

“Yeah, ye. A shame? is tha’ all ye can say? Joseph jus’ lost pretty much everythin’ an’ the only thin’ ye can say is, a shame?”

“And? That does not concern me nor does it concern you. His home is gone. End of it. Now, either cease talk of the house or you can go.” he pushed up his glasses, the reflecting flames making it impossible to see the mans cold eyes. “In fact, I’d rather you take the second option.”

Eric dropped his arm to his side, his scythe glinting, his outline framed by orange. “Ye want me tae go?”

“I do. You are useless here as well as unwanted. I think it’d be best if you made yourself productive in our realm rather then following me around like a lost dog.”

“I’m helpin’ ye.”

“How? All you’ve done is take up extra space.” he set his sights forward. “I am done speaking with you about this, Slingby. As your superior, I order you to return to our realm while I return to work _alone_.” Eric watched William jump from the roof and part of him yelled at him to chase the younger reaper, but the bigger part of him told him to just do as he was told.

He ported home and with little regard of who was inside, slammed the front door open, causing both mortals to jump. “Ah, afternoon.” Sebastian greeted. “Hey, you okay?” he asked, both feeling the anger emitting from the blonde.

“I’m pissed, bu’…” he found Joseph’s eyes. “Ye gotta know somethin’.”

“I’m listening.”

He took a breath. “Yer home’s gone. Someone ‘r somethin’ set it ablaze an’ it’s gonna be nothin’ when the fire’s put out.”

There was a moment for the information to sink in before Joseph sat back, his eyes roaming back and forth over his lap. “I know the fucker that did this.” Sebastian cussed. “I bet Ruvik thought it’d be funny to set my partners house on fire like Myra did with…ours.” he shoved the thought aside to give his attention to Joseph. “We’re going to get him, Joseph. Don’t worry.”

He slowly nodded but found, though he had lost everything in his possession, photos, old heirlooms, he wasn’t terribly upset. There was just something reminding him that he didn’t loose anyone in the fire. Just objects that could be replaced while Sebastian had lost his daughter and an innocent babysitter in the fire Myra started. Considering that, he felt incredibly grateful. “I’m going to be okay.” he assured his partner. “I’ll be okay. I mean, other then not having a place to go, what did I really lose?”

“You have a place to go. You’ll stay with me.” Sebastian said, setting his arm around Joseph’s shoulders.

“Thanks Seb.” he smiled.

Sebastian nodded to him then asked Eric, “Where’s Will?”

Eric rolled his eyes, dropping his scythe by the door and removing his jacket. “‘E’s still in Krimson bu’ ‘e’s bein’ a dick. ‘E wanted me gone sae I came ‘ome.” he walked toward the hall. “Look. I’m gonna ‘ave a nap then see Alan in the hospital, sae…can ye two make do by yourselves? Cookin’, I mean.”

“I think we can manage.”

“Righ’, then I’ll leave ye two alone.” he left down the hall; the bedroom door opening then closing seconds later.

Joseph groaned, rubbing at his eyes. “This is just great.”

Sebastian offered him a ruffle of his hair as he stood. “I know it’s fucked, but we’re gonna get through this. All of this.”

Joseph looked up at him through his bangs that Sebastian brushed out of place. “You believe that, huh?”

“We’ve been through worse shit.”

“I suppose STEM trumps everything, doesn’t it?”

“I think it does.” he offered Joseph his hand. “Why don’t I make us some lunch?”

“Like what?” he asked, taking the offered hand and he was helped up.

“I don’t know. Let’s see what they have.”

Following Sebastian to the kitchen, he couldn’t help but laugh at the idea soon to be reality. “You’re going to cook in just a towel?”

Sebastian looked down at himself, turned to Joseph and struck a pose. “Why not? You got a problem with that?”

Joseph laughed again and for the first time in what felt like years, he saw a part of the younger Sebastian, the one that had humour to him, that wasn’t just this sullen old man all the time. “No, no. Of course not.” he took a spot at the dining table, watching Sebastian go about the kitchen, finding everything he needed before sliding a plate in front of Joseph; a BLT. “Looks good.” Joseph commented, picking the sandwich up.

“And how’s it taste?” Sebastian enquired, sitting across from him with his own sandwich.

After taking a bite, Joseph thought as he chewed then replied after swallowing,  “Good. Really good.”

“Good.” Sebastian enjoyed his sandwich, his mind coming back to what Eric had said about William. “Wonder what Will did to piss the Scot off.”

“I don’t know.” Joseph frowned. “I hope it’s nothing too bad, that it’s an easy apology to make.”

“They’re not Canadian, so I don’t know about easy apology.” he grinned.

Joseph glared playfully. “I know some dick Canadians.”

“Really? Tell me more aboot them.”

Joseph smacked his arm. “I’ve never said ‘about’ like that before, have I?”

“Once or twice.”

“I haven’t!” Sebastian continued to grin at Joseph’s flustered state.

As time went on, Eric eventually exited the bedroom. Sebastian asked for some clothes, Eric allowing him to raid the closet to see what would fit him. All he wanted was to see Alan and it took him no time at all to walk to the offices and the infirmary inside. 

Finding Alan was easy as he was one of the few in the infirmary. He was awake, his hand reaching for Eric the moment he laid eyes on his partner. “My love.” Eric whispered, taking Alan’s hand to hold it to his cheek. “How are ye feelin’?”

“Sore, tired but better.” gently, he pulled Eric in for a kiss. “Why are you home so soon?”

“Reasons.” he replied. “I dun wanna talk tae ye about it now.”

“Alright.” he relaxed back against the mattress, eyes slipping closed. “May I go home soon?”

“I dunno, but let’s keep ye restin’ ‘ere fer now.”

“Mm…alright.”

Eric kissed his forehead then brushed back his bangs. “I love ye.”

“I love you too.”

Eric remained there, continuing to stroke his fingers through Alan’s hair. He made sure to kiss his face every so often; his cheek, his forehead, his jaw and his nose, getting a smile every time he did.  His grip on Alan’s hand never faltered and though he wished to bring Alan home soon, he was just grateful that Alan was still alive.

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

Sebastian finally found clothes that suited him from Eric’s wardrobe. A pair of slightly warn black jeans with a blue dress shirt that he rolled up the sleeves on. “Well?” he asked.

Joseph admired him up and down before nodding. “Suits you.” he stepped in front of him, setting this hands on his neck. “You know, this shirt kind of reminds me of the shirt you wore back in our younger detective days.”

“Really?”

“I think so.” he eyed it and knew it was going to bother him so he reached over and flopped down the collar. “There. That looks even better.” Sebastian startled his partner when he snatched his hands as Joseph had meant to pull them back. He looked at his partner then at their hands, conflicted as to why Sebastian had grabbed him and even more so when Sebastian leant closer to him. His heart pounded, his breath hitching; excitement as well as guilt forming in the pit of his stomach.

Thankfully or not, there was a sound that stopped them from coming any closer. The kettle whistling. Knowing neither of them put the kettle on and never hearing the front door, both gave curious glances toward the door before cautiously leaving the bedroom and heading for the kitchen. The room was empty and Joseph removed the crying kettle from the stove. He gave Sebastian a questioning glance and Sebastian returned the look. How strange. “Care to make us some tea, chaps?”

Both jerked around and there, sitting at the dining table, was the reaper they had heard of, that was working with Ruvik. He was sat with a jar of bone shaped biscuits, nibbling at the end of one with a smile. “You’re the Undertaker?” Sebastian guessed.

“Huh, so you know me.” he bit into his biscuit. “Guessin’ from little Will?”

“All of them.”

Taking another bite, Undertaker offered the jar up to them. “Care for a bone?”

“No thank you.” Joseph said as Sebastian pushed the jar back to the reaper.

“More for me.” he gestured to the kettle. “Anyway, why don’t you make us all a spot of tea?”

“Why the hell are you here?” Sebastian demanded.

“Personally, I prefer my tea black with a few cubes of sugar. Nothing beats a sweet cup of tea.” Undertaker rambled on, ignoring Sebastian.

The older detective growled. “Why the _fuck_ are you here?” he demanded again with a stronger voice.

To their surprise, Undertaker fell silent and stood. He summoned his scythe and as Sebastian stepped back  wanting to retrieve a knife, he froze when the scythe _just_ stopped at his neck. “I wanted to meet you two for myself.” he smiled. “Heard quite a lot about you especially, Detective Castellanos. He kept going on and on about how you wouldn’t just give in like everyone else did,” he pointed at Joseph, “like he almost did.” he moved to stand right in front of Sebastian, grinning wickedly down at him. “The chap wanted me to find the two of you and make you kaput and I thought about it. I thought how fantastic it would be to have you two as part of my doll collection.” as Sebastian believed he was going to be decapitated, Undertaker eased up and stepped back. “Buuut, I think I might like you better alive.”

“Why?” Joseph questioned, resting his hand on Sebastian’s that was placed to his neck.

“I thought about this after letting Will and blondie live. What fun would this be if we didn’t have any lambs running to the slaughter? I think this game could be much more fun with all of you alive.” letting this scythe go to dematerialize, he reached into his long spacious sleeve of his black robe, retrieving a photo and dropping it on to the counter. “There ya go.” Joseph flinched when Undertaker’s hand reached out but all he did was pat him on the head like he was a good boy. “Well, I’ll be off now. Have a few last preparations to make.”

Blinking and Undertaker was gone after scooping up his bone biscuit jar. “Are you alright?” Joseph asked, after a moment.

“Yeah, fine.”

Joseph watched him a moment longer before turning and picking up the photo, eyes going wide when he saw it was the photo they needed. Not only that, this was Leslie! Well, Ruvik now. Still! This was the photo they needed for the Bored’s help…shit. This had to mean Undertaker wanted them to be found, bringing sheep to the slaughter. “Sebastian, this isn’t good.”

“You think?” he sneered, more at the Undertaker then Joseph. “Fucking hell.” he said once he saw the picture. Undertaker obviously took it with an unimpressed Ruvik struggling to break the hold the reaper had on him. “We need to show Eric this when he comes back and get a plan set in stone. We don’t have much time left.”


	16. Chapter 16

The same night, Alan was released from the infirmary and despite his many protests as he slowly eased himself from bed, Eric carried him home, cradling the younger reaper against his chest. “Eric, really! I can walk! There isn’t a reason to carry me.” Alan, again, protested with less heart then before, always enjoying Eric’s arms around him.

“‘m no carryin’ ye because ye can’t.” Eric’s reply came sharp, low with something Alan couldn’t place. He lowered his eyes from Eric’s face, focusing them on Eric’s chest where he placed his hand. A strong heart beat, nothing like his own. “I’ll put ye tae bed an’ bring ye a cup o’ tea. How’s tha’ sound?”

“Fine.”

Eric spared a glance at him. “Jus’ fine? Ye want somethin’ tae eat with it?”

“No. Tea…tea is fine.” Stopping quite suddenly, Alan stumbled a bit when Eric unintentionally set him harshly on his feet. “What are you doing?”

“Ye wanna walk, righ’?”

Alan stared up at him then quickly wrapped his arms around Eric’s, knowing that annoyed tone. “Thank you for trying to help.”

Alan feared he had angered his lover when he remained still; a quiet breath easing from his lips when Eric eventually wrapped his arms around him, resting on hand on the back of Alan’s head, gently gripping the brown strands. “I jus’ dun want ye tae ‘ave another attack sae soon.”

“You know walking won’t do that.”

“I want ye tae promise me, ye won’t do anythin’  strenuous fer awhile, alrigh’?”

Reluctant to agree, as he knew that meant no reaping without a partner, he also knew that his illness affected Eric just as much as he did him, so to ease his love’s mind, his answer was, “I can’t…promise, but I’ll try my best.”

Eric rubbed his back. “Alrigh’. I can accept tha’.” he dropped his hand from the back of Alan’s hand tilt Alan’s chin up with the knuckle of his pointer finger. “Kiss me.”

Alan eagerly fave Eric what he wanted, having to stand a bit on his toes to meet the taller reaper half way. “I still will take you up on that tea and bed offer.”

“Of course lad.” he entwined their fingers, returning to their walk back home, both expecting their guests to be in bed making them rather surprised when Sebastian stormed from the kitchen and slammed the photo he held into Eric’s chest. “The hell lad?” he grunted, catching the photo when Sebastian pulled back.

“That old fucker came by and gave us this.” Sebastian basically spat.

Alan looked over at the photo both of them displaying the same shock he and Joseph experienced. “Shite.” Eric cussed. “‘E was ‘ere?”

“Yeah and almost slit my fuckin’ throat.”

“Calm down Seb.” Joseph tired to soothe, running his hand over Sebastian mostly uninjured arm. “We shouldn’t be angry at them.”

“What did he say?” Alan asked, taking the photo from Eric’s fingers.

“He did’t want to us like Ruvik wanted. The game would be much more fun with us alive, is what he said. Something close to that anyway.”

“Game? That Phantomhive brat rub off on ‘im a bit?”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Who?” the mortals asked.

Alan shook his head. “A human who was contracted to a demon. He…caused a bit of trouble for us but he’s been gone for many years now. We just presumed the demon finally took his soul.”

“Sebastian was the name of the demon?” Sebastian guessed.

“Aye, like I told ye.” Eric nodded. “Anyway, I need tae get a hold o’ Spears an’ let ‘im know we ‘ave wha’ we need.” he turned to Alan with an apologetic look. “Sorry love. Tea in bed willnae ‘appen t’night.”

“This takes priority.” he assured, returning the photo back to Eric.

Sebastian flicked his eyes between then two then said, “I’ll make Alan some tea.”

Alan shook his head, smiling fondly. “No, that’s alright Sebastian. I need to sleep anyway. It’s hard to get a good rest in a place that smells like bloody medicine.” though he did scan Sebastian’s form, fondness turning to concern. “What of you? How are you faring after the demon?”

“Fine. Joseph fixed me up better then your staff.”

“Well, they’re used tae fixin’ reapers an’ sometimes they forget humans dun heal like we do.”

“Yeah, obviously.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “Anyway, rest Alan. I’ll be there when I notify Spears.”

“Do hurry.” he leant up, kissing Eric’s cheek then said to Sebastian, “I am glad you’re alright.”

“I’m glad you’re okay too.”

Alan nodded to him. “Goodnight love.” he said to Eric.

“Aye, g’night Alan.” the smaller reaper bid the mortals goodnight as well before retiring for the evening. Sighing inwardly, Eric tore his eyes from following Alan to focus on the other two. “Righ’. Why dun ye two rest an’ I’m gonna try an’ get in contact with Spears.”

“I’m not resting when we have the evidence your Bored needs.”

Eric scratched the side of his head, admiring the determination Sebastian had. “Look, Sebastian. I know yer eager tae end this all, bu’ we cannae do anythin’ without Spears. As far as I know, ‘e’s still lookin’ fer a photo. It’d be best fer ye an’ yer partner tae rest an’ be fully charged for tomorrow when we go tae the Bored.”

Sebastian opened his mouth to rebut, Joseph grabbed his arm, squeezing hard enough to get Sebastian to shut up. “We’ll head to bed.” he didn’t miss the thankful look Eric gave him as he pulled Sebastian toward the guest room, the same look many had given him when he took Sebastian away from any argument or heated discussion he was involved in. He had dealt with a grumpy, stubborn Sebastian for many years. “You need to calm down.” he said when they were alone. “I know you’re eager, like Eric said, but we have to remember we’re at the mercy of reapers. Without them, we can’t do much meaning it’d be best if you didn’t try to argue with them.”

It was clear Sebastian didn’t like that idea. He paced the room, trying hard to not punch the first thing he saw before giving up and dropping to the bed. “I need to murder that son of a bitch.” he snarled, looking at his balled up fists. “For everything that he’s done…maybe add Myra to that list.” he squeezing his fists tighter. “Nothing means more to me right now then getting revenge for Lily.”

To his surprise, he was more expecting a lecture about pertinence, Joseph laid next to him, shifting up close and resting his hand on Sebastian’s right fits, pushing it down. “Relax.”

Sebastian remained stubborn for a bit longer then took three deep breaths, Joseph feeling the tension leave his body as his arms fell limp, his hands laying open. “You think I’m going to get my revenge?”

“I don’t doubt it.” Joseph comforted. “And then we’re going to be finally done with STEM. We’ll be done with everything and we can finally, _finally_ move on.”

Sebastian rolled to his side, mrauvering Joseph to lay in his arms as he rested his cheek against the top of Joseph’s head. “Finally.” he agreed. 

His partner flicked his eyes up then let them close, allowing himself to rest in Sebastian’s embrace. Though this still felt wrong with William’s name nattering at the back of his mind, it also felt right to be in the arms of the man he had fallen in love with the moment they met. Alan shared the sentiment, wanting nothing more then to rest in the arms of his mentor but when he sat up to greet Eric as he entered the bedroom, the look of worry etched over his face with concern over Eric’s handsome features. “What is it?”

Eric set his phone on the nightstand while siting on the edge of the bed. “I cannae get a hold of William. Tried ‘is cell an’ the landline. Nothin’.”

Alan shifted from the warm blankets to kneel behind Eric and hug him, squeezing him affectionately. “That’s troubling.”

“Aye, it is.” he replied, resting his hands on Alan’s forearms. “I dunno if I should go back ‘r no’.”

At that, Alan squeezed him again then sat back to turn Eric’s whole body toward him to press their foreheads together. “Don’t go.” he whispered. “Please, stay. At least with you, I feel somewhat able.” he kissed him. “And traversing through countries too much is taxing, even on you. I’d hate for you to pass out like William had.”

Eric cupped Alan’s cheek, gently brushing his thumb over soft skin. “Tha’ wouldn’t ‘appen. ’s jus’ me portin’. I dun ‘ave two mortals tae bring along.”

“I’ve heard it happen.” he muttered. “And it can happen to you.”

“Yes, yes, I know it can _bu’_ I can promise ye, it won’t.”  
Alan sat back, crossing his arms with an unintentional adorable pout. “You won’t though, will you? You’ll stay?”

Eric grabbed his shoulders. “I’ll stay.”

“Thank you.” he hugged him. “Especially if the Undertaker comes back for some reason, I feel better with you around.”

Eric ran his hand over Alan’s back, debating weather he should let Alan know he didn’t stand much of a chance with the Undertaker before but decided to leave that for another day less he get Alan’s worrying imagination up. “We should get tae bed. Ye need yer sleep.” he said then moved to lay Alan down, being sure to lie cuddled up with him, one arm reaching down to shift the blankets around them.

“You need it as much as I do.”

“Dun worry. I’m gonna follow ye.” Alan clung to Eric, letting his exhausted body rest, Eric quick to follow though he woke up first. Carefully sliding out of Alan’s hold, he tried again to get ahold of William. Nothing. “Fuck.” he muttered, hanging up. “Where are ye Spears?”

To anyone’s surprise, William had returned to England with his own photo of Undertaker and Ruvik, having found it on the pillow ext to him when he woke the morning before. Normally, he would have returned to the Library right away but through all of this, William remembered someone he had nearly forgotten until Sebastian mentioned his own daughter.

Knelt at the foot of a headstone, the camera next to him with his hand resting on the top of the stone, London rain pelting over his shoulders and back, his head bowed in regret and respect. She may not have been his biological daughter but by damn she could have easily past as it. She was the closet thing to family he had when he left to England after the family he was meant to marry into agreed to marry their daughter off to him. He grew to like his wife, even love her in a platonic sense, but she still never truly felt like family. Her daughter, however, was the only being that made him feel less homesick.

His wife’s family were desperate to have her marry as she had her daughter out of wedlock, running their families reputation and counting to drag it through the mud the longer she remained single. His father just happened to be around at the right time, finishing off some business in England before moving back to Japan to be with his wife and son. As she hadn’t a choice, William didn’t either when he left his family to marry a stranger but again, it was her daughter that made the marriage tolerable. She never treated him like someone her mother had to marry, she treated him as if they were flesh and blood.

But that was also what made his decision all the more painful and he could hardly express the guilt he had when he stood on the roofs edge. England was too much for him as well as the homesickness that grew overwhelming. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he begged for her forgiveness before letting his body fall forward, the ground rapidly approaching. Her smile was the last thing that kept him alive those few extra days. “Lana.” he whispered. At least he was able to see she had grown up well and had a family of her own before passing of old age. To that, he was grateful. “I do hope you forgave my act.” he rained there until he couldn’t take the pelting rain anymore. Taking a deep breath, he stood up, brushing away the stubborn tears unbecoming of a reaper.

“Got a loved one here too, sir?”

William straightened, being sure to remain composed as he turned to his junior reaper, Ronald Knox. “That I do.”

Ronald smiled at him; a forceful act. “Hey, it’s okay t’ cry y’know? We’re seein’ family we haven’t seen in centuries.”

William turned his head. “Tears are not fit for a reaper. We are meant to do our job without emotions and the fact you come here and weep for those we will never see again, who most likely forgot about our existence months after, is appalling to our name.”

Ronald was taken aback, staring with wide eyes at the cold reaper. “Y-Yeah, I know bringing our emotions into our job is a waste of time, but, this is family. Right now is the only time we can let our emotions go.” he swallowed. “And we’re never forgotten!”

William rolled his eyes. “You believe that? I’ve seen many records of ‘loved ones’ who forgot their dead one existed because of their selfish emotions.”

“How’s it selfish? Mourning hurts.”

“Oh, I know it does but does that excuse erasing the dead from your memory entirely? No, it does not.”

Ronald felt his lip quivering. “But…that’s just y’! I’ve never see it happen!”

“I’m sure your mother would disagree with that.”

Even for William, that was a hard blow. A lump formed in Ronald’s throat, his eyes stinging with held back tears. “She didn’t forget! She was jus’ busy!”

“Yes, busy erasing your from her life. I believe I recall watching her take everything that belonged to you and burning it so she didn’t need to be reminded she had a bastard son.” he adjusted his glasses. “Which brings me back to the point that there is _no_ right time to show emotion. It would do you good to learn that eventually.”

Ronald knew the reputation of William being cold, everyone did, but this just felt too cold even for William. “W-What’s wrong with y’?” He ignored the blonde, walking past him to create a portal home, having picked up the camera during his harsh words. Ronald was quick to follow, wanting to know what the hell had gotten into William.

He was glad when William ported in front of Alan and Eric’s flat, the older reaper giving three precise knocks, Eric answered mere seconds after the last one. “There ye fuckin’ are. I tried callin’ an’ ye ne’er picked up.”

“I didn’t need you checking up on me.”

“I wasn’t callin’ fer tha’. I was callin’ because we ‘ave the photo we need.”

“Do you? I have one as well.” he removed the neatly folded picture from his pocket and showed it to Eric. It was nearly the exact same as what Eric had but obviously taken seconds after the first with Ruvik’s slight shift in position to pull from Undertaker’s hold.

“Where’d ye get this?”

“None of your concern. I have it and that is all we need.”

Eric watched him walk by, tempting to give him a smack upside the head but turned to his next guest, paternal instincts taking over when he saw the look on Ronald’s face. “Hey Knoxie, are ye alrigh’?”

“Yeah.” he shrugged. “Be fine.”

Eric set his arm around his shoulders, hugging him forward. “C’mon now lad. Somethin’s botherin’ ye.”

Ronald swallowed, looking around Eric then simply said, “Senpai.”

“Spears? Wha’d ‘e do?”

“Jus’…said some stuff.” he wiped his eyes again. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Well, come in an’ I’ll make ye some coffee.”

“Sounds nice.”

Eric led Ronald inside and toward the kitchen, making the coffee for them all in silence, Eric tempted to ask Ronald again what was bothering him but decided to ask the cause of Ronald’s frown. “Righ’ Spears. Ye wanna get somethin’ off yer chest?” he nearly demanded, standing in front of him.

William just gave him a dead, unamused look. “No.”

“Ye sure?”

“I am. There is nothing I wish to say.” adjusting his glasses, he turned his action to the photos. “Have the mortals seen these?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

William sighed. “There is nothing wrong. Now answer me. Have the mortals seen these?”

“Yeah, we have. Your Undertaker buddy came here and nearly made me headless.” came Sebastian snarky reply, the knocking having woken he and Joseph up. “Where the fuck have you been?” he _did_ demand an answer.

William quirked an eyebrow, adjusting his glasses again. “I am not inclined to answer with such a tone.” he stood, turning to face the two. “We must talk privately.” he said to Joseph.

“Fuck no.” Sebastian said before Joseph could open his mouth. “You can talk right in front of us.”

“Sebastian, it’s okay.” Joseph said. “If William want’s to-”

“I wish for us to return to acquaintances.”

Joseph went silent, blinking at the sudden words. “…acquaintances?”

“Yes. I wish for the past to never be brought up and I’d rather not be reminded of it.”

Joseph blinked again, slowly nodding, unsure of why William wanted to suddenly end it though part of him felt relived, his eyes quickly to Sebastian and back. “If you’re sure.”

“Oh, I am quite sure.” he adjusted his suit jacket. “Now, we have more pressing matters at hand.” he took both photos. “I will bring them to the Bored and I will report back after they have given us orders.” with that, he left the the flat.

Sebastian had the rage from last night still in his system causing him to follow William and nearly tackle the reaper into an alley, pinning him to the wall. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Will?”

William winced, the mortals forearm pressing tightly to his throat. “There is nothing wrong with me.” he shoved Sebastian back.

“Bullshit. You’re acting like a prick more then you did when we first met you.”

“How so? I simply ended it with Oda and-”

“Eric even said you were acting like a prick when he came back from Krimson and I saw the look on blondie’s face when he poked his head form the kitchen. What the hell did you say to him?”

“I explained to him that there are no emotions fit in a reaper. We are meant to do our job without feeling and he is one of the, dispassionately, many that ignore that rule completely. Slingby and Humphries fall under that category in a more severe way as they have a love. Not only did I realize I was breaking one of our rules being with Oda, I reminded myself that I have a reputation to uphold and I shan’t abandon that for romance.”

Sebastian stepped back to let him go, feeling he had the answer he needed. “I was about to go after you.” Joseph said when he returned. “You do realize he could have killed you, right?”

“Spears wouldn’t do tha’.” Eric said. “Yer no’ on the death list.”

Alan, who Eric had woken up, was now sat on the couch with Ronald slowly drinking his coffee, the frown still prominent. “Did you get anything out of him at least?” he asked, running his hand in circles over Ronald’s back.

“Kinda. He said he had a reputation to uphold and bein’ a reaper meant being no feeling.”

Alan frowned. “There’s having no feeling and being cruel. There’s a fine line and it seems William has crossed that line for some reason.”

Ronald took a sip. “Said the same thing t’ me in the graveyard where I met. Said tears weren’t fit for reapers and shit.”

Eric thought about this for a moment. “I bet Undertaker had somethin’ tae do with this.”

“How?”

“When Will saved my ass from getting me head cut off-”

“What?!”

Eric winced, forgetting Alan hadn’t known about the altercation with the Undertaker. “Ah, well, ye see love, we-”

“You fought the Undertaker and kept that from me?!”

Eric sighed, leaning over the couch to kiss his cheek. “Calm down love. ‘m tellin’ ye now. I jus’ dinnae want ye tae get into a fit like ye are now.”

Alan didn’t like knowing Eric kept his fight with the Undertaker to himself until now, but at least he was going to tell them all now. “Continue.”

“Thank ye.” he leaned up. “Since Spears saved me, I tried fighting, got knocked out then woke up with Undertaker holdin’ will up by ‘is throat. ‘e was talkin’ tae ‘im an’ I dunno if ‘e said anythin’ tha’ woulda kicked this kinda attitude into gear, but I bet ye did. Spears idolized the Undertaker back in the day and ‘e probably said somethin’ tha’ made Will change.”

“I don’t give a damn right now.” Sebastian said. “He’s acting like a prick but that prick is getting orders for us to end all of this.”

Ronald wiped his eyes. “Yeah, I bet y’ two are eager t’ get back t’ normal life.”

Sebastian shook his head, cracking his knuckles. “I’m eager for revenge.”

 

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 

When she had failed in protecting Leslie, she had thought she would be done with STEM, at least with Ruvik anyhow. Her boss hadn’t said anything about him only offhanded comments about the job or her husband, though she used the word lightly. She was curious herself what happened to Sebastian after he escaped STEM as she was told. She was even curious if Joseph survived the shot. She did hope he was able to as the bullet wasn’t meant for him, but when wasn’t Joseph tripping over himself or making some sort of mistake?

She had thought she was done with all of the above, however, she was proven wrong when the facility went into lock down mode when the doors were slammed open with what could only be described as living zombies charged through the doors. She had her pistol, abel to defend herself as employees were killed were they stood without much of a chance to defend themselves.

Then she swore she saw a ghost. After the hoard charged in, Leslie followed behind, a pleased grin on his face as another, strange looking man, followed along next to him holding a weapon that was always portrayed with the Grim Reaper. The man displayed the same pleased grin accept this one was borderline insane as he used his scythe to kill off the guards that shot at them, their bullets doing nothing to the silver haired killer. “Shit.” she cussed when her gun clicked, feeling the annoyance Sebastian always hand.

With only eight dead and many still coming, she hadn’t much of a choice but to run from the building before she ended up among the casualties. She knew she should have found her superior but her life was fare more important then her bosses. Still, she had to do something since Ruvik was involved.

Unknowing the reaction she would get, she used the first payphone she came across and called the only man she knew who went through hell with her.


	17. Chapter 17

Eric smirked at Sebastian’s reply. “Ye seem ready fer it.”

Sebastian looked over at him. “Wouldn’t you be if you had the chance to take revenge on your family?”

Reminded of his murder wife and children, Eric gained the same murderous look Sebastian did. “Aye. I’d be ready fer revenge too.” he took a deep breath. “I hope ye enjoy it.”

“I’m going too.”

Alan looked between the two, then tried to change the subject to ease the tension. “Well, we have time before William returns with orders from the Board.” he stood, walking over to Eric. “How do you plan to get rid of Ruvik?” he leaned into Eric’s side, the blondes arm automatically wrapping around his shoulders.

“Slowly.” Sebastian growled out. “That bastard lived long enough. I don’t give a damn if you reapers need him alive, he’s dying by my hands.”

Alan winced. “Well…at least you have that planned out.”

“We dun need ‘im alive.” Eric assured. “Ye can do wha’ever ye want with ‘im.”

“Good.”

Alan swallowed. “How are you feeling now?” he asked Ronald, hoping to alter this uncomfortable topic.

Ronald shrugged from where he remained sitting. “Fine.”

“Do you want anything? A coffee refill maybe?”

“No. Thanks, but I’m fine.”

Alan reached over, patting his shoulder. “Then you three? A refill or anything else?”

“I think we’re fine Alan.” Joseph replied, seemingly a little offset by Sebastian’s plan. “Thanks though.”

Sebastian was about to object, preferring another coffee, when his phone he’d forgotten about buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it from his pant pocket, he was nothing short of shocked when he saw the caller ID. “Fuck.”

Leaning over Sebastian’s arm to see for himself, Joseph displayed the same look of shock. “Answer it.”

He wasn’t told twice, putting the phone up to his ear, but before he said anything, he heard Kidman’s whispered cusses, demanding him to answer. “What the hell do you want?”

_“Sebastian! Shit, I didn’t think you’d pick up. Fuck the past, right now, I need your help.”_ she nearly pleaded.

“Do you? Really? What help did you offer or tell me in STEM? Nothing.”

_“I couldn’t Sebastian. I was under obligation to keep what I knew to myself and get Leslie. That’s it.”_

“You mean kill him?”

She groaned. _“Forget it! Look, Leslie’s back and-”_

“We know.”

_“…we?”_

“Me and Joseph.”

_“He’s alive?”_ to her credit, she sounded relieved to hear this.

“He is and he doesn’t appreciate getting shot.”

_“That bullet wasn’t meant for him! Sebastian, listen to me. There’s something bigger here. Leslie came back with an army of…things and he bought an old guy with a fucking scythe!”_

Sebastian’s face contorted upon hearing this, eyes narrowing. “They did it.” he announced to the others. “They made their move.”

“Fuckin’ hell.” Eric cussed. “Where?”

“Where?” he repeated to Kidman.

_“We need to talk in person and I’ll give you a full explanation. Meet me at you place.”_ she hung up after that.

Sebastian hung up as he looked at the others. “Take me home.” he demanded, slipping his phone away.

Eric coked his head. “Why? Wouldn’t tha’ be the first place Ruvik looks yer ye?”

“I told you, he and your reaper friend made their move. He doesn’t give a shit about us anymore. Now take me home.” he demanded again with a stronger tone.

“What did Kidman want?” Joseph asked.

“Our help.”

“With what?”

“She’s going to explain everything to us in person and she’s meeting us at my place.” he faced Eric. “Now take me home.” he snarled out.

“I think you better.” Alan said. “Before he becomes feral.” he leant up, kissing Eric’s cheek. “I’ll be sure to inform William where you’ve gone if he comes back.”

“Alrigh’.” he kissed Alan’s forehead before taking ahold of Sebastian and Joseph’s wrists. “Close yer eyes lads.”

Obeying the request, the porting sensation returned,  then in seconds it stopped as they’d arrived. “Damn, it’s weird that I’ve gotten so used to that.” Sebastian mused, looking at his hand when Eric let them go.

“Yes but what did Kidman say?” Joseph inquired eagerly. Sebastian repeated the best he could of the information she gave him. “She better damn well tell us _everything_.”

Then Eric found their eyes on him. “Wha’?” he asked. “Hey, if ye dun want me ‘ere, I’ll leave.” he offered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

“It’d be best if we have a reaper here in case Ruvik still decides we’re wroth somethin’ to him.” Sebastian gestured to the kitchen. “There’s beers in the fridge if you want one.”

“Then I’ll be in the kitchen if ye need me.” and Eric was eagerly gone.

With just the two of them, they waited eagerly for Kidman’s arrival, thankful that it took little time to hear her loud, nearly frantic knocks on the door. Upon answering it, Sebastian was greeted by Kidman with a look of surprised horror on her face. “Shit, you are alive.” she said to Joseph when Sebastian allowed her in.

“I am.”

“You know I didn’t mean to shoot you, right?”

“It’s…forgiven, I guess.”

“Good.” she took a deep breath. “Now, I’ll explain everything.”

Sebastian sat down, watching her with sharp eyes as she told her story. “Mobius?”

“That’s what they’re called, yes.”

“And…they created STEM to try and link everyones minds together?”

“Yes.”

Sebastian ran his hand over his forehead. “The fuck? And you work for these assholes?”

“I did…they wanted me to kill Joseph before.” she admitted meeting Joseph’s eyes. “You don’t remeber, but when Sebastian ran off screaming, you turned into that fucked version of yourself and tried killing me. Honestly I thought you were dead before I met you two again in the bus.”

Joseph looked down at himself, placing his hands to his chest. He was very thankful he didn’t remeber being that monster. “I don’t remember but I’m grateful I don;t.”

“That version of you was terrifying.” she admitted. “Cursing at me while trying to shoot me.” hesitantly, she set her hand on Joseph's shoulder. “But I’m glad you aren’t dead.”

Joseph eyed her hand. “What were you doing after Sebastian ‘killed’ Ruvik and we were freed from STEM?”

“I was helping them build another machine.” she sighed, dropping her hand.

“Fuck no.” Sebastian growled. “Another one?”

“It’s their mission. They’re also planning on using someone else to run it but now that Leslie’s with that friend of his and their army, he’s going to use it again.” she looked between them. “I think we all know what he’s going to do with it.”

“Put everyone in their place.” Joseph sighed. “And, you know Ruvik is Leslie, right?”

“I do now. I remember watching them merge. I still can’t fucking believe he was able to get his only way out.” she turned a scowl to Sebastian. “If you didn’t try to stop me at the park, this wouldn’t be happening right now.”

He scoffed. “Bullshit this is my fault. You could have told us from the fucking beginning and half of that shit wouldn’t have happened. We all had multiple times with Leslie and if you told us from the start, there would have been a one percent chance of Ruvik escaping.”

“They knew what I was doing, hear everything I said. What the hell was I supposed to do?”

“This isn’t helping.” Joseph said, pushing up his glasses. “Arguing won’t help. Right now, we need a proper plan. Ruvik as the Undertaker and an army. We have-”

“Undertaker?” she asked.

Sebastian stood, moving to stand beside Joseph. “Kid, there are things we need to tell you too. Our side of things.”

“It can’t be more fucked then this.”

“Well-”

When the door behind her opened and her nerves still running high, her first instinct was to unholster her gun, spin around and shoot. She hardly registered the two behind her tell her to wait, her eyes focused one the body of a man who looked oddly like Joseph with a bullet hole in his forehead. “Oh fuck.” she gasped.

“Ye dinane tell me ye were gonna start shootin’.” spinning around, ready to fire again, her eyes flew wide when Eric suddenly appeared right in front of her, his hand grasping the gun, pointing it toward the floor. “Ye ain’t shootin’ me too lass.”

Eric slid the gun from her limp grasp, her eyes glued to him as she tried to piece together what he did since they were no longer in a mental world. “Y-You…”

Eric walked past her, setting the gun in Sebastian hands before kneeling across from Joseph who was crouched beside William. “Is he going to be okay?”

Eric nodded. “Oh yeah. This is nothin’.” he assured. “Might ‘ave a splittin’ headache bu’ after the pissy attitude ‘e’s ‘ad, I think ‘e deserves this.” easily securing his arms under William’s frame, he lifted the body to place William on the couch.

“They’re what we wanted to tell you about.” Sebastian said, handing Kidman her gun.

“What they fuck are they?” 

“We had a bit of a run in with dead.”

“Grim Reapers to be precise.” Joseph added.

Robotically, Kidman took her gun from Sebastian’s hands, holstering it, her eyes still trained on Eric and William. “Grim Reapers?

“Tha’s wha’ we are.” Eric said, holding his hand out to her. “Eric Slingby.”

“Juli Kidman.” she greeted, carefully shaking this head. “You have reapers on your side?” she asked the detectives.

“We do.” Sebastian answered. “They’re come in handy too.”

“And who’s he?”

“William T. Spears.” Eric sighed. “An’ ‘e may no’ like ye fer shootin’ ‘im.” he perched himself on the armrest of the couch.

“I didn’t mean too. I just…I’m in a mild panic mode.” she admitted.

“Doesnnae matter.” he folded his hands in his lap. “Now, plan?”

“We can’t do much here.” Joseph said, tapping his chin. “We don’t have the numbers or the idea to dealt them right now.”

“Ye want me tae port all o’ ye back tae our realm?”

“For now, that’ll be best.” Sebastian nodded.

“Port? Realm?” Kidman blinked.

“Dun worry lass. This’ll make sense tae ye soon enough.”

“Eric’s right.” Sebastian said. “It takes time but you get used to it.”

Joseph looked at her, frowning slightly. “Why don’t we get you some water or something to help you calm down first.”

“Water would be nice.” she agreed.

Sebastian watched Joseph lead Kidman to the kitchen before turning his eyes to Eric who was focused on William again, the bullet held between his fingers, the would already closing. “When will he wake up?”

“Soon enough with the bullet out.”

“Then I’m going to check on them.”

“Aye.”

Sebastian made his way to the kitchen, finding Kidman at the kitchen table with a glass of ice water held between her hands and Joseph leaning against the counters. “Hey Seb.” he greeted.

“Hey.” he sat next to Kidman. “So, anything else you wanna tell us, Kid?”

“No, that’s everything.” she took a deep breath. “I want to be done with this. I’m done working for Mobius, I know that much.”

“Good choice.” Joseph agreed.

“It is, but I have an important question to ask.” Sebastian placed his hand on her arm, looked her dead in the eyes and asked, “is Myra part of Mobius?”

She glanced away then forced her eyes to lock with his. “Yes.”

Sebastian’s face soured, his hands turning to fists, teeth gritting together. “Good.” he shoved himself from his seat, returning to the living room where William was awake and Eric was tending to his wound by doing this best to wipe away the drying blood with a handkerchief. “How are you feeling?”

William glanced at him. “Fine.”

“’s no’ as bad as the migraine ‘e gets.” Eric commented, satisfied with his cleaning job, the best he could do with just a dry cloth. “Sae, wha’ now?”

“Take us back to London. We’ll come up with a full thought out plan there.”

“Can do.” he purposely ruffled William’s hair, earning the glare. “Ye alrigh’ tae port?”

“Yes.” he muttered, doing his best to fix his hair, brushing bangs from his eyes.

“Then grab your friends.”

With a quick call to the back, Joseph and Kidman joined them, Kidman surprised that William was indeed, still alive. “I’m…sorry I shot you.”

William had to bite his tongue to not chastise her. “It’s forgiven.”

“Now c’mon lass. Gimmer yer ‘and saw we can go.” Eric held out his hand to her, Sebastian already grasping his other one, Joseph pairing with William. Rightfully so, she was sceptical when taking his hand, Eric feeling it in the loos grip. “Now close yer eyes ‘r yer gonna get dizzy.”

“It really would be best too.” Joseph said. She took their advice, shutting her eyes the moments later felt the affects of porting. The odd wind and the warping of her location causing her to grasp tighter to Eric’s hand.

When it stopped, she dropped to her knees like Sebastian and Joseph had. Her had pounded, even just opening her eyes a sliver made her felt nauseous. “Same reaction ye two ‘ad.” she heard Eric.

“Then Ronald, grab the nauseous medicine from the washroom cabinet please.”

“Right.”

“And why don’t you come sit over here.” the soft voice she heard give orders to a ‘Ronald’ was now closer to her, gentle hands placed on her arms, easing her from the ground. “The couch will be much nicer to rest on.” he was right when he helped her sit on the cushion. Daring to open her eyes again, she was greeted by Alan, smiling slight with corner shining in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I…I think I’ll be fine.” she observed her surroundings, hardly believing that they had teleported like the reapers said they could do. In STEM, that seemed natural but this was meant to be the real world.

“Hey sir, what’s with the ed on your head?” Ronald asked when he came back with the medicine Alan asked for.

William touched his forehead, feeling the off texture of dried blood. “You missed some, did you?”

“Dried blood is a pain tae get rid o’.”

“Blood?” Ronald gaped.

“Aye. Lass o’er there shot Spears in the head.” he shrugged. “Wasn’t intentional bu’ ’s sure as hell served it.”

William frowned up at him. “Then excuse me while I clean myself up.” he was off to the washroom.

“Well, I won’t argue with Eric on that point.” Alan muttered, accepting the bottle Ronald handed him. “Here. Take on of these and it should ease the dizziness. Do you need water?”

“I can take it try.” she said, accepting a pill then popping it, swelling it with little difficulty. “Ugh, that’s awful tasting.”

“Isn’t it?” Alan examined the bottle, reading the labels. “But it’s a quick relief.” he set it on the coffee table. “Now, I take it your friends with Sebastian and Joseph?”

The three of them looked at each other. “Friends? Well…” Joseph trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. “Acquaintances.”

“It’s a rocky history.” Kidman added. “Juli Kidman by the way.” she introduced, holding out her hand.

“Alan Humphries and that’s Ronald Knox.” he greeted, shaking her hand in return. “But now we have a slight problem.”

“An’ tha’ is?” Eric asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

“Sleeping arrangements. We only have one guest room.”

“Well, ye an’ I could always sleep on the couch an’ give Kidman our room.”

“I don’t think that’d be the best idea love. One, this couch is too short for all of your six feet and two,” he lowered his voice, “there are things in our room that only we should see.”

Eric nodded. “Aye, good point. Well, the three of ye can cram into the same bed.”

“Again, not a very good idea.” Alan pointed out.

“Then…I dunno.”

“One of us could always use the couch.” Joseph suggested. “I mean, I know it can’t fit Eric, but I’ve slept in cramped spaces before.”

“I wouldn’t want that.” Alan said with a disapproving look.

“Why not just sleep on the floor.” Sebastian suggested. “Kid and Glasses can use the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Used to do it all the time when I was kid sleeping over.”

Alan bit his lip but Eric answered for him. “Aye, I guess tha’ll work. We ‘ave spare blankets an’ pillows.”

“Then there, settled.”

“Then t’morrow mornin’, all o’ us will regroup and we’ll take the fight tae them.”

When it came time for sleep, Kidman eager for it, William and Ronald had gone, Sebastian making his bed on the floor, Alan and Eric most likely already in bed, Kidman asked, “Do you two really just these people?”

Joseph, who was sat in bed beside her, watching Sebastian, nodded. “We do. They’re proved they can be trusted.”

“Joseph’s right.” Sebastian said, finally done with trying to make it as comfortable as possible. “They’ve had a few times where they could have said ‘fuck it’ and either killed us or left us to die but they didn’t.” he sat down, wiping at his eyes. “They’re one of the most trusting people I’ve met and they’re dead.”

Kidman looked at Joseph. “Then do you have any relation to William?”

“No. I’m sure of that. We share one type of history but that’s it. I don’t know how we ended up looking like each other but we did.”

“Then what about our hosts? Alan and Eric.”

“What about them?”

“Are they really as good as you make them out to be. I mean, they didn’t seem to disturbed that their friend was shot. You heard them. They said he deserved it.”

Joseph and Sebastian looked at each other then nodded. “He sort of did.” Sebastian said. “He went from an okay guy to an asshole in two seconds flat. Hopefully a bullet to the head will snap him outta the mood he’s in.”

“Also like they told us. They can’t be killed with mortal weapons, only death scythes.” Joseph continued.

“Exactly and some advice, never call Alan weak or anything like that. You’ll have him at your throat and his Scottish boyfriend.”

“Why would I call him weak?”

“He…” Sebastian shook his head. “He should tell you. Not us. Just, be careful around that subject.”

“Okay.”

Stretching his arms over his head, Sebastian fell to his back, letting his head rest on the pillow. “Let’s get some rest before tomorrow. I want to function properly with the plans we’re going to make.”

“Good idea.” Joseph agreed, laying down. “You don’t mind sleeping with me, do you?”

“As long as you stay to your side, no.”

“Joseph’s a good sleep.” Sebastian yawned. “If he ends up on your side, just kick him off.”

“I don’t appreciate that suggestion!”

Kidman rolled her eyes, laying on her side facing the door. “I’ll keep that in mind.” yawning herself, she reached up to flick off the light. Feeling Joseph get comfortable beside her, she let her eyes close and in mere seconds, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I decided to do an all out corssover story. I had the urge to do one for awhile now, so I hope this turns out alright.


End file.
